Devil's Masks
by ariescelestial
Summary: AU Shadow Hearts timeline. Alice returns to Rouen, only to find tragedy once more...one man's whim has a drastic effect. [Covenant Spoilers]
1. Zhaoyang: Savior or Captor?

**Disclaimer:** No, of course I don't own Shadow Hearts! . (But I'm keeping Yuri.)

Yuri: Hey!

**

**Author's Note:** Yes, yes, another fic. When I should be finishing all the others. But since I can't work on those in school, I'm working on this one. :p

A/U, written in Alice's POV. Most chapters will probably be about as long as this, so…^^;;

**

I gazed blankly out the window. The stars and moon were unusually bright this night. I'd given up on trying to figure where we were going a few hours ago; the countryside was nondescript and though the soldiers were talking loudly, I couldn't understand a word of their Japanese.

I glanced in the window at the reflection of two soldiers. One of them was watching me; he had a comical-sounding voice. The other's was rather gruff. Perhaps he ranked higher than the other? In any case, it was obvious they were talking about me.

Something odd appeared on the train, though we were miles from any station. Something subtle but powerful, and very dark. I hated that feeling; it reminded me of that night…and him…

"Oh God," I whispered. It might be Roger Bacon, but…how had he found me here? I didn't even know where I was. Maybe this army was connected to him? I shook my head. Bacon was European, what would he want with the Japanese army? But then why did they capture me?

My whole body tensed at the sound of a man's scream. I clasped my hands together and prayed, _Oh God please not him, please not him!_

The sound of gunfire rang in my ears. I opened my eyes and stood, seeing one soldier slashed in the chest and another receiving a cut to his neck. The wind shear laughed in delight, startling the last soldier into action. He took a gun out and began firing, yelling something with each shot. Whether his target was the wind shear or Roger Bacon, it didn't matter. The wind shear blocked all the bullets with its scythe. The gun was soon empty. I closed my eyes and a second later, heard a body fall to the ground.

"It's you…" There seemed to be nothing else to say.

"Yes, Roger Bacon. I thought you'd forgotten. It's an honor that you remember me so well."

He was approaching me. In desperation I looked for a way out, but the wind shear gave me a shallow cut on the cheek-a warning.

"You can't escape," Roger Bacon said as he took hold of my arm. "Come along quietly, sister."

The door slid open and I looked up to see a man dressed in black. I could not guess at his nationality, so I yelled, "Help me!" in Chinese, and then repeated it in English.

To my surprise and horror, he laughed. "So this is his choice? A helpless girl?" he spoke in flawless English.

_Is he with Roger Bacon?_ I wondered, right before a hand came over my face. A soft blue glow preceded a fall into darkness.

**

"…So, you're waking up."

It was the man's voice. He was kneeling next to me. Frantically I looked around, but saw only grass and trees and dirt. Where had they taken me? And where was Bacon?

A hand touched my shoulder. I flinched. "Please calm down."

My head snapped back and I said sharply, "Why should I? Aren't you helping him?"

"Please, I can explain!" he said. "Listen to me." There was a tone in desperation in his words that silenced my protests. He hung his head as though ashamed. "I was helping him, but I couldn't go through with it…I'm sorry. I'll help you get back home."

He did seem confused, but what was this sudden change for? Still… "It's alright. You didn't hurt me, and you rescued me. You…you didn't kill any of the soldiers in the other car, did you?"

He shook his head emphatically, and I was surprised to find that I sensed no trace of deceit.

"Why weren't you involved?"

Now he almost sounded embarrassed. "I was…delayed." He shook his head, messing up his brown hair. "C'mon…we should get to a town soon." He helped me stand and then began walking.

"W-wait!"

He turned back, frowning. "What is it?"

"I don't know your name."

His brown eyes widened. "You're right. My name is Sasha."

Sasha? It sounded like a Russian name. "I'm Alice Elliot. Please, call me Alice."

Sasha nodded, his hand reaching up to toy with a talisman around his neck. "Alice, then." He looked around and then pointed to something behind me. I turned and saw a path. It looked like it had been worn down over years, but there was also vegetation creeping up to it. "Let's follow that. It should bring us to a town."

"Alright." That made sense to me. I was simply glad Roger Bacon wasn't here. As we walked down the path, I looked at him through the corner of my eyes, trying to get a better impression of who he was.

Sasha was of average height, though a little slim in frame. Medium brown hair, unruly, and brown eyes to match. His black clothes were loose fitting and rather plain. And around his neck, the talisman he wore.

"I don't have any weapons hidden."

"W-what?" I stammered. Realizing he must have noticed, I shook my head. "No, that's not it-" I dropped my gaze, but not before noticing he had black gloves on.

"Dead end that way."

We had arrived at a fork. I looked up and followed his gaze to a small clearing. Sasha turned to the branch in front of us. "What's the use of this one?" he wondered.

The path led into a river it seemed, but when I looked across, there was a path leading away. I pointed it out to him. "The path must have gotten washed out."

He shrugged. "Guess it's left for now." I followed him down the turn.

"Oh…there are sluice gates," I said, seeing three. "We can shut off the water flow, and the path will drain."

Sasha examined all of the sluice gates, then shook his head. "It's no good. This one needs a handle," he said, tapping the sluice gate, "and the other two are rotten. Let's see…" He went back to one of the rotten ones and started tugging on the handle.

"Are you having trouble?" I asked. He was grunting as he pulled on it.

He gritted his teeth. "I-think-it's-stuck!" He pulled so hard that he threw himself off balance and fell flat on his back. I covered my mouth, although I'm sure he heard my laugh. Sasha got back on his feet, ripped off his gloves, and tried again. This time the handle came off. "Got it! Here."

I took the handle as he slipped his leather gloves back on. Taking the handle back to the other gate, it took Sasha only a few seconds to jam it on and start cranking. The sluice gate closed.

"Now all we have to do is wait for it to drain," Sasha said. "Let's look around."

A small path off to the side led us to a run-down shack. The front wall was completely gone and the other three didn't look like they'd last long. But something drew my attention.

"What's this?" I knelt down and touched the blue circle, startled when it glowed white.

"Must be…these are supposed to keep monsters away. It repels them. Usually it works on the surrounding area as well, so…" He looked around. "If we're going to rest, we should rest here."

"Alright."

He spent the next few minutes gathering sticks and grass for a fire. Next Sasha set to lighting the fire. After a few false starts, he had it going. The blaze lit his face, and I realized he was only a few years older than me. He was Asian-pretty sure Japanese, not Chinese. But he had a Russian name, and lighter eyes.

"Are you Japanese?" I asked.

He looked impressed. "Yeah. Well, half." I guessed that the other half was Russian then. "Most Europeans would guess Chinese before Japanese, though. How'd you know?"

"Well, I've seen some Chinese people and some Japanese soldiers. I'm starting to pick up on the differences."

Sasha nodded. "You were in Changchun, right?"

"Yes. It's a good thing you speak English though."

He seemed puzzled, perhaps because I had brought it up so abruptly. "Why?"

"I don't know any Japanese or Russian."

"But you do know Chinese. That's good."

"A little-oh, you knew what I was saying?" Now I was curious. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Four. English, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. How about you?"

"English, of course…a bit of Chinese, though my accent's horrible." He chuckled, confirming my suspicions of how mangled my Chinese was. I was a bit put out by this. The missionaries had said I was decent, but perhaps to a more fluent speaker my accent sounded atrocious. "I'm pretty good in Latin and French."

"Latin? That's interesting. I know a handful of words…"

Our conversation was relaxed and casual though we barely knew each other. It reminded me of the cafés I had been to in France…in Rouen…

"…right?"

"Huh?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, you're tired, aren't you?"

"Oh…a bit…" Today had been rather eventful, what with getting captured and all.

"Go on. Get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

He'd keep watch? How did I know I could trust him? Suspicious questions flooded my mind as I went through all the reasons sleeping could be a bad idea. He'd saved me from Roger Bacon, but he had been helping him in the first place. Why had he changed his mind? What if he changed it again?

"Alice?" Sasha was watching me curiously. "Are you alright? You've been staring at the fire."

"Sasha…may I ask you a question?" I said softly.

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Sure, what is it?"

"Can I trust you?"

His eyes widened, taken off guard by the question. He was silent for a minute, but then he answered, "Yes, you can."

There was no deceit in his answer, and reassured I went to sleep.

**

Father carefully closed the back door behind him as he came out into the alley. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said, smiling at me. The smile barely hid his anxiety. "Doyle still hasn't come out of the confessional. And he said he was going to go and meet Cardinal Simon… Has he not shown up yet?"

I looked around the alley, although I already knew the answer. "…Not yet. Father, is he really going to come?"

"Yes, he'll definitely come. He's the only one capable of defeating Roger Bacon…" As he began walking down the steps, I noticed a flash of light out the corner of my eyes and looked. There was a tall gentleman and he was approaching us. I stood, assuming it was Albert Simon. "Hel…What!! You?!"

"Heh heh heh… Pleased to meet you. I'm Roger Bacon."

The introduction was clearly for my own benefit, because my father was already reacting to the danger as Bacon began chanting a spell. "Alice, run!" he said, pushing me in the church's direction when I did not move. As I ran I could hear him calling on a spell, "**Blessed Light**". I sprinted into the church, dashed past the altar and stopped in front of the confessional. Frantically I began pounding on the door.

"Father Doyle? Please help," I shouted. "It's Roger Bacon--he's outside--we need help!" But it was silent inside the confessional. "Father Doyle? Father Doyle! Please--"

My chest constricted as I felt a large wave of black magic. A man cried out--it was my father. It was then I obeyed him for the last time, running out into the streets of Rouen and away from the church.

**

My eyes were wet with tears as I woke up. I quickly wiped them away, not wanting Sasha to see me crying. But when I looked around, I found him lying on the ground, sleeping.

At first I was upset. He said I could trust him, he was going to keep watch, and now he'd fallen asleep.

But on closer examination, it looked like he'd fallen dead asleep on his feet, his arms and legs spread all out. Sasha must have been exhausted too.

"I wonder how long we've been asleep?" The path was probably drained by now. I walked around the ashes left by our fire and knelt next to him, gently shaking his shoulder. "Sasha. Sasha, wake up…Sasha?" I shook him a little harder. "Wake up."

"…Masks…"

"Hmm?" I bent down, trying to see if his eyes were even opening. "Sasha…" His face was scrunched up, and he was sweating a little.

"No…Masks…shut up…"

He must be having a nightmare, I guessed, and shook him harder. "Sasha, Sasha-" My hand slipped going down to his stomach, and felt something wet. I brought my hand back and saw my fingers lined with blood.

He hadn't fallen asleep; he'd been attacked! "Sasha! Sasha! Are you alright?" I was pushing him hard, but he still wouldn't wake up. "Please, wake up!" I shouted.

At this his eyes finally slid open, and I was surprised to notice flecks of amber in his eyes. He started to push himself off the ground. Then he stopped, holding his stomach.

"Let me help." He held up his shirt as I healed the shallow wound. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

His tone made me stiffen. _Is he…mad at me?_ "Are you sure? You were mumbling in your sleep about 'masks'. I thought you were having a nightmare."

"I'm fine, but I'm getting a headache."

"Alright," I said, starting to regret waking him up.

Sasha's harsh expression softened as he watched me. "Sorry, Alice. It's not your fault."

"What happened?" I asked again.

"I got attacked and had a nightmare. But it's alright. I'm fine now. Just taking my bad mood out on innocent bystanders," he said with a guilty smile. I found myself returning the smile, and assuring him that I understood, and wasn't mad.

It completely slipped my mind to ask him what had hurt him.

As we got closer to the sluice gates I heard a kind of squeaking noise. I turned around, my eyes widening as I saw a bat. Before I could react, it dove for me-and then Sasha snagged it, pinning the bat's wings to its sides. He squeezed the bat and I winced at the sound of bones snapping. Once he dropped it, the bat only fluttered a bit before stopping, dead.

"Huh. So there are monsters here," Sasha remarked, looking down at the bat. "That explains the circle-shit!" he winced in pain and I saw another bat, biting into his neck before he also grabbed and crushed it.

"Here." I put my hand on his neck, where the two fang marks were, and concentrated. I took my hand away but then he grabbed it.

"Do you hear that?"

It sounded like…there were more bats. "Oh no."

Sasha smirked as he turned away from me. "Don't worry. Bats are nothing. Do you have anything to fight with?"

Something to fight with? The missionaries in Changchun had given me a dagger, but of course the soldiers had confiscated that. The only thing I had on me was my bible.

As the first bat approached, I lost all of my reluctance to use the holy bible. With two swings, it went down and more swarmed around me.

Sasha was a martial artist, it seemed, because he was able to easily take out bats with quick punches. After a few minutes and many more bites, we were able to rest and heal ourselves.

My companion chuckled as he looked at the bible. "Never would've pegged you a bible-basher."

"There was nothing else to use…"

He laughed easily, perhaps unaware that there could be more monsters about. "I know. But still, bibles are pretty good weapons."

I leaned forward, interested. "Really? Why?"

"Well, it's not much for attacks, I think. But it helps with magic a lot. You use Light-classed magic, right?"

"My talent's really only at seeing things. I can cure, but that's it."

Sasha regarded me for a few minutes before shaking his head. "You really believe that?" he asked, lounging against a rock.

"Huh?"

"Trust me, if your ability was limited to perception, you would not be half as important as you are."

"Then, you should know…" I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them; I was feeling a bit chilly. "How important am I?"

_How important am I to Roger Bacon? Important enough to be worth the deaths of others…my father?_

"You could determine humanity's fate…" I gasped aloud; surely he was joking. "…If you wanted to. But you can't do a thing with only a cure spell."

But, he didn't seem to be joking. Did I really have that kind of power, or was he mistaken?

"So how could I learn new spells?"

He shrugged. "Magic's just…knowing what you want and knowing how to use your power to get it. Use what you already know and see if you can get a new use out of it." As I pondered, he stood and brushed the dirt off his pants. "Come on Alice. I hope this path takes us somewhere."

Luckily, it did. After a mishap with two large spiders and a wolf (I refused to go near the spiders, forcing Sasha to deal with both), Sasha pointed out to me two bright lights.

"It should be a village," he reasoned, walking ahead. Suddenly he pitched forward, ending on one knee with his arms supporting him. I approached him, but stopped when I heard a static noise, like a radio not tuned properly.

"Be caref…Guardian…Purgatory…man-eater's…trap…" a woman's voice whispered.

The static stopped shortly after the message ended. I looked all around me, but could not tell where the voice had come from. It had seemed to be from inside my head, but that was impossible. "What was that-"

"Shut up! Shut up, you witch! I'm not your marionette, I'm not some puppet you string up to play with!"

I took a step back at Sasha's explosion. He was filled with rage and frustration and was staring up at the sky, his chest heaving with the violence of the outburst. I ventured to look up but realized there was nothing in the sky either.

"Um, Sasha?"

"What?"

"I don't think the voice was trying to harm us," I said. "I think it was just warning us."

Sasha raked disheveled brown hair through his gloved fingers before fixing me with his eyes. "You don't know her. She's not someone you can trust. That witch has been trying to manipulate me for three years now."

He spoke with such conviction that I knew he wasn't lying. Sasha believed wholeheartedly what he was saying. And yet I thought that the voice was trying to be helpful too. I had never been wrong before, so…how could this be?

I turned my gaze back to the lights. It was obviously a small village and I wondered what could possibly happen in such a place. "We'll just be careful then."

"Yeah, I guess," Sasha grumbled.

We approached the gates of the village. They were locked, so Sasha called out. Two children came in response. I thought that was odd, considering the time of night.

"Could you open the gate?" Sasha asked.

The child wearing a red shirt shook his head. "It's late now. Sorry, but you'll have to stay out."

I walked closer to the gate and got their attention. "Couldn't you open the gate? Please, it's just the two of us."

Both children looked surprised at the sight of me. "That's a girl, right?" the other child asked his brother.

"Yeah, it is!" They started whispering to each other, glancing at me often. I heard words like "fat" and "tasty". I turned to Sasha but he only shrugged with a nonplussed expression.

"Alright then!" The two children, with a great show of courtesy, opened the gate. "Come on in!"

"Thank you," I said as I walked through the gate. I looked at the children again and stared-one brother had red eyes, the other's eyes were yellow. I'd never seen eyes those colors before.

"Okay, we'll be waiting for you at Granny Mayor's house!" The red-eyed child smirked at me, then ran off with his brother chasing him.

There was something suspicious about this village. "Sasha, I think that voice…she was right."

"Hm." Sasha didn't seem convinced; he leaned against a building and looked at the ground.

I thought about the remarks the boys had made and saw a connection. "She said something about man-eaters. What if there are cannibals?"

"Then we'll deal with it," he said impatiently. He tapped the wall with the heel of his boot, then pushed off and began walking into the village. His bad mood was coming back it seemed. _The person behind the voice must bother him a lot. I guess I should leave it for now._

To find our way to "Granny Mayor's" house, we asked directions of the first person we met. He expressed astonishment at our coming, saying he had "figgered the whole world had forgotten about Zhaoyang village". I tried to pretend I didn't see the sharp teeth that he constantly bared in friendly smile.

The directions turned out to be very simple; up the street there was a well. The house closest to it was the one we wanted. When we got there, a woman was standing next to the well. Closer, I could hear her humming, then starting to sing. Her voice cracked slightly and I could see Sasha's smirk as he approached her. She was startled, but only briefly; then she began flirting with him, to tell by her coy smile and how she placed her hand on his chest while asking a question. The Chinese flowed too fast for me to make any sense of it; but after a minute, they laughed and broke apart.

"Well, come on," Sasha said, switching back to English with ease. He led the way towards a dilapidated house that sank into the earth. The stairs creaked beneath me as I walked onto the porch.

Sasha sharply motioned for me to be quiet. "What is it?" I mouthed.

"They're talking." I could hear the children's voices, tinged with excitement, and a kind, weary voice, the grandmother. Sasha was listening intently, all his concentration put into hearing.

He gripped my elbow and led me back down the stairs, careful this time to make no noise. "Do you feel anything here? Any energy, like a church?"

I removed my arm and looked around. All the houses looked abandoned, and I wondered why none of the villagers took care of them. There was no sense of life coming from them-had there been an illness recently? As I turned back to Granny Mayor's house, I sensed the power of many souls, bound together in spell. But it wasn't from her house. I turned right and found a pathway winding into the mouth of a cave.

"That?" he asked. Curious, I began walking down the path without answering his question. It felt strange…not like any church I'd ever been in. What could be in a cave?

There was a soft breeze blowing, but as soon as I stepped foot in the cave, the air became still and heavy. The stench of decaying matter was sickening. Even more so was what I saw.

Skulls stared up at me through empty sockets, piled on top of long, white bones that still had thin strings of meat on them. I backed away, bumping into Sasha.

"They're bones…human bones," I said, feeling ill. The smell had become overbearing and I knelt as Sasha went forward to examine them.

"So Koudelka was telling the truth."

I swallowed and stood up. Trying to at least seem calm, I asked, "Who's Koudelka?"

"The witch." He tried to move one of the skulls but found it impossible. Instead he turned back to me. "You're pale, Alice." Sasha sounded surprised. He touched my chin with the same leather glove that had touched the skull. My body stiffened and his dark eyes softened. "I see. This is your first sight of death, isn't it?"

"Y-yes." It was strange; dealing with ghosts was one thing, but corpses were different. I had never seen a person die. Even with my father I had only sensed it. For a horrible second, I wondered what my father's corpse looked like-like this?-before I shoved the thought away. I mustn't think of that. I must be strong. "But you…you're calm."

Why was Sasha so impassive? Had he seen many deaths? Had he…caused many?

"I saw a woman killed by monsters when I was nine. And after that…" He trailed off, uncertain what to say. Finally he shrugged. "It doesn't affect me much anymore."

"So, you travelers like our shrine?"

I jumped, startled by the voice. "Shrine?" It looked more a burial ground than a shrine.

"The villagers built this shrine to pacify the Tortoise God. What utter nonsense! He's been gone for three months now! With him gone, we're free to do whatever we like…we can even change into humans. The only problem is we get hungry…"

His vacant gaze rested on the pile of bones and he licked his lips, as if recalling every morsel he had eaten. In a moment, I saw a lean old dog, his sides sunken in with hunger. The image faded, but I now knew what was so terribly wrong about the old man.

"And it's all thanks to our great protector, Yamaraja!"

"Yamaraja?" Sasha said coolly. He turned to look in the darkness of the cave, past the gleaming bones. I did as well and saw a small shrine with a closed screen, lit from the inside by a candle. "I suppose the little shrimp would be in that itty-bitty shrine?" he said in a mocking tone. I was surprised at his boldness, and more than a little relieved to know he wasn't worried about our situation.

The elderly man stomped his foot. "You...such insolence! But no matter…the dinner for our guests will be soon." With a disturbing smile he left, singing a strange song-it sounded like the same the woman by the well had sung.

"Don't have to be fancy, just tasty," Sasha muttered. I was startled to realize he had switched back to English-and I had understood the entire conversation in Chinese. "He says-"

"I know what he said."

Sasha gave me a curious look, but I shrugged it off. Perhaps my brief Chinese lessons were returning to me. In any case, there were much more important things to discuss. "That man was once a dog. These people aren't human, they're all animals."

Instead of objecting in disbelief to the theory, Sasha nodded. "Makes sense. Zhaoyang is a rural town, and yet we haven't seen any animals yet. That explains why." He put a hand on a long, thick bone in the stack. It might have been someone's thigh. "All the real people are here. We'll be joining them if we don't find a way out."

I shivered at how coldly he said it, speaking lightly of his own death. What was it about him? "I don't intend to die here," I told him. He nodded his agreement.

"Neither do I." His voice was full of determination and I took heart in the change. My companion had almost seemed as inhuman as the village's residents, but no; he was human, and he was real.

As we left the shrine and returned to the well, the two children began calling for us. I looked up at Sasha, asking his opinion. The villagers were watching us, and he conceded that there wasn't much else we could do. Again we approached the broken down house. Just before going in, he stopped me. "Show them that we're armed," he whispered, "but don't let them know we know." I carried my bible at my side.

Once we were inside, the two boys turned to their grandmother. "Grandma, look! We got a girl!"

"Sorry to bother you," Sasha said. He was speaking in Chinese again, but slower, making sure to enunciate his words clearly. I supposed he was doing it for my understanding, and though I appreciated the thoughtfulness, it made me feel rather idiotic. "We need some beds for the night. And food, if it's not too much trouble."

The grandmother laughed, showing sharp yellowed teeth. "Don't worry, we'll have a grand feast with our guests."

Sasha glanced at me and I spoke up, "T-thank you ma'am. It's awfully kind of you to take care of us like this, having just shown up in the middle of the night."

The grandmother smiled at me. "How polite you are! But you needn't worry about your manners…for they won't change the taste of your meat."

I hoped I had misheard or misunderstood, but Sasha laughed as if she'd told a joke and said, "Kind woman! You all talk as if you're going to eat us!"

"At least one of you has brains!" the old woman retorted, a flash penetrating her cloudy eyes. "Eat you both, we will! We'll have a feast with this girl…you could be an appetizer," she told Sasha with a distasteful look, "Too little fat on your bones, won't be tasty…Now before we start, I need to tell Yamaraja…"

She stood up shakily and made her way towards us. I clutched my bible to my chest, but Sasha stood still. The grandmother passed by us and the children followed her.

"We'll be at the door, so don't try to escape," the amber-eyed one called out merrily.

"We're trapped," I whispered when the door slammed me into reality.

"Looks that way."

His voice was tranquil again, though we were both facing death. It infuriated me. "How can you be calm?" I demanded.

"Get mad and you'll make yourself hungry," he told me with a slight smile. I frowned, letting him know I was not amused with his dark humor. "But let's save our strength. Aren't you tired?"

He had switched back to Chinese again, but his question confused me more than the language. How could anyone be sleepy at a time like this?

He yawned suddenly and loudly, his mouth stretching wider than I would have thought possible. "Yeah, I am too." He sat down on the ground, and then plucked at my sleeve to make me sit too. I started to ask what he thought he was doing, but he pressed a finger to my lips and shook his head no. Laying himself down, he closed his eyes. Then he opened his right one and mouthed something. Not knowing what he meant, I did the obvious and lay down next to him. There was about a meter of ancient, warped wood between us, a distance I felt comfortable with. Sasha smiled reassuringly before closing his brown eyes again. After a minute or two, he adopted a slower, heavier pattern of breathing, though I could tell he was not really asleep.

So this was a ruse? It might work. If the children thought we were sleeping, they might lower their guard. So Sasha did have a plan.

The thick air and faint coppery scent filled my lungs as I made an effort to fake a restful sleep. The knots in the wood pressed hard against me. With my eyes closed, I felt for a moment like part of the cursed village, and then wondered if the whole village was only sleeping, and this a nightmare that would break when it awoke.

I heard a creaking noise and caught my breath. "Are they sleeping?"

"Looks like. C'mon, let's take a bite."

I could not have kept still another moment; luckily I heard Sasha shift and stand. I stood as well and saw the startled expressions on both children's faces.

"You tricked us!"

Sasha shrugged. "Maybe you should learn to sneak around better."

"Now what are we gonna do? Everyone will know we tried to sneak a bite. They'll eat us!" one of them wailed.

"If we're gonna get eaten, I wanna taste the girl first!"

Sasha shook his head. "You just don't learn, do you? Why don't you show yourselves?"

The children exchanged glances and smirked. Then we were faced with monsters instead of children. They somewhat resembled a mix between a cat's head and a bear's body. Standing on their hind legs, they reached up to my chest. With fierce teeth and long claws, the two demons seemed quite formidable.

"Stay behind me," Sasha directed. "I'll take care of these guys."

"Are you sure?"

As answer he blocked one of the bear-cat's advances with a kick to its head. The monster snarled and tried to slash at him. He grabbed the paw and pulled the cat off-balance, at the same time bringing his knee up. There was a howl as blood gushed from its snout over its red fur.

So distracted, I did not notice the other approaching until it tried to attack me. The claws caught me on the shoulder; I cried out and then, taking my book, slammed it into his head. A black boot entered my vision and the bear-cat flew into the wall, breaking through the rotted wood.

Behind Sasha was the other demon, seemingly dead. Its fur was crimson from blood; if it was alive, it would not be arising anytime soon. My shoulder throbbed from the wound, but I tried to ignore it for a moment. "Are you alright, Sasha?"

"Yeah, he didn't hurt me. Except for a few scratches, but they're shallow." He frowned. "You need to heal your wound though."

"It's not too bad," I said. It did hurt very badly, but I thought I probably shouldn't make too much trouble about it. Since it was my left arm, it shouldn't be too bad. "I want to save my strength for when I really need it."

"You do," he said, "Your arm's hanging like it's dead. I doubt you can fight long like that. If you don't want to use your magic…" He searched in a small leather satchel at his waist, bringing out a leaf. "Take off your coat."

"What?"

"You can either eat these or put it directly on the wound. It works faster when it's direct."

Speed was important, so I shrugged off my blue jacket. Though my shirt was cotton and long-sleeved, I still felt chilly and shivered.

"That's a short skirt for autumn," Sasha muttered. I blushed and tugged it down, self-conscious. He grabbed my upper arm to hold me still. With his other hand and mouth, he ripped the leaf, holding one half between his teeth as he squeezed that other half. Tiny green drops fell on the wound and immediately the pain lessened.

Sasha was working quickly, well aware of our situation. Outside it was silent, bringing my nerves to a fever pitch. Why was it so quiet? Weren't they preparing for a feast? Did they somehow know we were trying to escape?

I gasped, tearing away from his grip. I stared at the door, hearing them again, louder.

"What's wrong?" Sasha asked. So he hadn't heard. It made me even surer of what the sound had been.

"The villagers-their ghosts," I corrected myself. "They're angry at how they've been bound."

"They're bound?"

"In the shrine…they're bound to the shrine. It's how their corpses are kept in place."

The low moan of the villagers was cut through by growls and shrieks.

"And that would be the villagers' pets!" Sasha picked up my jacket and flung it at me. "Let's find the granny. She has to be the animals' leader."

I tugged on my jacket. "At the shrine, right?"

"At the shrine for Yamaraja." Sasha opened the door and swore softly. "You bastard."

I joined him at the door and gasped. Most of the shacks we had seen before were gone or damaged badly. So much blood had spilled that patches of the ground were awash in it, making a brownish-red mud.

"This is the village," I whispered. Before it had seemed like a nightmare, but now it was hell.

"What's left of it," Sasha said. He stepped down the porch, motioning for me when I didn't come. I followed him closely, not wanting to be left behind in this forsaken village.

Suddenly he stopped. I walked into him and stumbled back. Wondering why he had halted, I looked up and saw two transparent figures rising from a pool of blood. They looked as if they were swimmers lifting themselves from Acheron-except it soon became apparent there was nothing more to lift; their bodies ended at the waist.

The diminutive ghosts had long, flowing hair and soft faces, obviously female. But when I noticed their missing breasts, I shuddered to think what the demons had done.

They'd been trapped in this village by the animals. As an exorcist, I felt that I should help them find peace…but could I even begin to…?

One of the girls was dragging herself along with her arms in fluid movements that seemed natural to her ghostly form. She approached me with malice in her eyes, but I only recited a prayer in Latin, hoping her soul could find rest. Instead she attacked me. I blocked the attack with my bible, and she continued her advance, screeching at me. I backed into one of the remains of a shack, and then I fell backwards after something bit me in the shin. A rat's large tail disappeared into the shadows of the little house. At a scraping noise, I turned to see the girl again. Her lips were twisted in a horrible smile as she reached forward with a hand stripped of flesh.

"**Nightmare**!" Sasha cried out; a spell hit the girl. She slumped forward and her eyes closed as she vanished. Not for good; she was not at peace. But for a little while.

"**Cure**," I whispered, healing my leg.

"Why didn't you attack?" Sasha asked, wading through the remains of the shack to reach me.

"I didn't want to cause her anymore pain," I murmured. With my leg still aching, I massaged it with my right hand. Slowly I stopped, then looked up at my supposed rescuer. "That magic."

"What?"

"It's like Roger Bacon's," I said hesitantly, feeling a thrill of fear worse than when the children had wanted to eat me. "Why is your magic like his?"

"Don't be silly," he said glibly, "I'm not nearly as powerful as him."

It wasn't the power that was similar, it was the aura that bothered me. Both his magic and his aura, as I probed further into it, reminded me of the warlock to a depth that was startling.

"Alice." Sasha's voice was pleading as he knelt down. "We're both Dark classes." I wonder what my face told him to make him beg like that.

Our eyes met. He was anxious for me to believe him, and I did not know if that meant he was guilty or not. Finally I nodded, choosing to trust him for the moment. He was the only one I could trust in this horrible place.

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright. Just please, fight your attacker next time. We can set them at peace after we've dealt with the demons." As I smiled sheepishly, I could feel his relief that I believed him, yet though there was relief, there was no sense of joy. It made me suspicious-and then I reminded myself that now was not the time. "Let's go get that granny mayor," he said with a false smile.

She was still in the shrine when we arrived. At our footsteps, she turned and asked, horrified, "What did you do to my children?"

"They're dead," Sasha said. Perhaps the change back to Chinese made me imagine the cold hatred in his voice. "Now it's your turn."

"Bah! Even if you kill me, Yamaraja will never let you out of this village."

"I could just destroy his shrine," Sasha said with a nod to the wooden box. "Goodbye Yamaraja."

"Can you get over the corpses?" the elderly woman asked, smiling. "They will always protect the shrine and Yamaraja."

"Not if you die," I realized. "You were the one who bound them together. So if you die…"

"You'll have to catch me first!" she taunted, "and POOF!" There was a brilliant flash of light and a loud cackle. "I'm gone!"

I slowly opened my eyes, still wincing from the sudden increase in light. The woman really was gone, but her voice lingered.

"You'll never find me! Wither and die in this village where the morning never comes!"

Sasha snorted derisively. "I'll find you and bag you, hag." He looked at me and indicated the cave's mouth. "Let's go." He took off at a steady run and, mindful we had to work quickly, followed at the same pace.

So I followed him back to the well, where we encountered the grandmother. She only laughed and disappeared, making Sasha mutter to himself about 'damn cats'. I smiled in spite of the situation.

"Is she hiding in her house?" I asked. It certainly was close enough.

"No, I don't think so. Let's try going back the way we came in."

A movement caught my eye. Either it was the flickering light of the torches or something had just moved by a pile of wood. I could make out a human aura, neither ghost nor demon. Concerned, I approached the huddled figure, realizing it was a man. He trembled the closer I got to him, obviously frightened. I knelt near him and said, "Excuse me sir-"

He cried out in abject terror, flinging some sort of amulet at me. He held it between us like it was some sort of shield, chanting a prayer as he stared at me with wide eyes.

"Definitely not exorcist material," Sasha remarked to me before addressing the man. "That's not going to do anything. We're not demons. And be quiet before you attract all the real ones."

The man calmed down slowly, looking quite embarrassed now. Even in the dark shadows I could make out his flushed cheeks. "My apologies miss."

"Don't worry," I said. "I first thought you were a demon myself."

"What are you doing here?" Sasha asked suspiciously. His eyes moved to the large packs lying at the man's feet. "You're a peddler?" The man nodded. "I don't think there's much business in these parts," Sasha said sardonically.

The peddler laughed nervously. "Yes, yes you're right. I had no idea what this village was when I came here." The words tumbled out so quickly I could barely make sense of them, but between his emotions and the few I did know, I was able to make out his message. "Thank goodness my wife gave me this amulet, I don't know what I would've done without it-!"

He held a small charm suspended on a string. Despites its diminutive and cheap appearance, I could sense quite some power from it. I wished I had something like it.

"Hey, what kind of stuff do you have?" Sasha nudged one of the packs with his boot. "Anything that'll help us fight?" He drew out his satchel again, searching until he found a bundle of Yuan, the Chinese currency. My eyes widened at the large amount and the peddler quickly got down to business. He first offered herbs similar to what Sasha had given me and called them Thera leaves.

"Thera leaves?" I asked. I wondered why I had never heard of any such plant before if it could heal so well.

"They grow in very remote areas, so they're hard to find. But if you see one bloom it'll bring you good luck for a whole year."

Sasha clearly wasn't interested, and I suspected he already had enough to last us a while. "Not items. Equipment."

The peddler nodded and brought out an assortment of accessories, weapons, and armor. He began to bring out a slingshot but then, seeing the weapons we possessed, he perhaps judged we would not be interested and put it back.

Sasha quickly skipped over the weapons and armor, which were similar to the articles we were already using. He instead rummaged through accessories, searching for something useful. I browsed through them too, but I was more interested in design than practicality. I lingered over the bracelets but blanched when he named the prices. Sasha probably had enough money, but to ask him to spend such a ridiculous amount…

"Two leather belts and bandannas," Sasha said.

At his order, I looked up in surprise. "I don't need a bandanna. I already have one."

"The one in your hair? But it's blue."

I looked down at the orange bandannas with their orderliness that was laughable in Zhaoyang. They were folded in half diagonally and then neatly into thirds, only a bit rumpled from their journey in the pack. Theirs was a similar patterning to mine, if not identical. "I'm sure they're just dyed differently."

"Hmm…" Sasha removed the glove from his right hand and felt one of the orange cloths. Then he moved behind me and I felt a light tug as mine was examined. "You're right. Just one bandanna then."

The vendor was slightly disappointed but maintained a cheery disposition as Sasha made his purchase. He handed a belt to me. At first I tried to slip it around my jacket, but it looked rather awkward, and felt odd too. I took off my jacket and tied the sleeves around my neck. The belt fit nicely over my cotton blouse.

Sasha had fitted both bandanna and belt loosely. The orange bandanna knotted behind his neck was a comedic contrast to the black shirt, but his leather belt looked rather nice, providing a better view of his physique…I blushed and then scolded myself. I didn't even know if I could trust him, and here I was…but I had decided I needed to trust him…

"Come on Alice. We've given the cat enough of a head start."

"Yes," I agreed. To the peddler I said, "Don't worry, everything will be over soon."

"Either Yamaraja will be dead or we will," Sasha added. I shot him a look and he smiled slightly. "Just telling the facts."

"I'm sure we're already well aware of our danger," I scolded him in English. "You don't need to remind us of it-Sasha!" He was already walking away, his brisk pace carrying him down one of the narrow streets.

I ran quickly to catch up with him. My legs were shorter than his and I almost had to jog to meet up with his speed. "Are you really so scared of death?" he asked as I approached him.

"I'm starting to be scared of you," I said quietly; he laughed in response. "It's no joke!"

"Why? Because I don't care? We're all going to die. I've seen it too often to be scared. Like I said, it doesn't affect me."

"It should!" I shouted, not caring what attention it brought. "It's the loss of a human life!"

He laughed again. "Aren't you a Christian?"

"So?"

"So death is only a reunion with your Heavenly Father. You shouldn't fear it, but embrace it." He stopped in one of the pools of blood, the liquid pulling down around his boots, and looked at me. "Or do you have a reason to fear your Judgment Day?"

I bristled at the rude question. "No."

"Didn't think so. Your aura is the purest I've ever felt. You must hate anything tainted…and death is stained with darkness."

_I hate anything tainted? And he's a Dark class…does he think I hate him?_ "I don't hate it. And, and I'm sorry. This isn't the time to be arguing."

"Don't apologize. That makes it twice. Anyways, most people say I'm a pain to get along with." He nodded when he finished, as if agreeing with what they thought.

"Well, I'm probably not the most agreeable person right now either," I said.

"So we have two unsociable people, armed and in an extremely violent situation," Sasha said thoughtfully. "This could be interesting."

There was nothing I could think to say to that. Instead I watched as he stepped out of the pool, his footsteps marked by the red. Perhaps I just shouldn't worry about being on his good side, as long as I wasn't on his bad side.

There was a low growling noise; as I searched for the sound, I found three silhouettes skulking in the shadows of the houses. They were headed toward Sasha. Worried, I ran closer to them and then felt their demonic aura. "Sasha!" I called out; and because of this, I drew the dogs' attention and was the first attacked.

I grabbed my bible as all three approached. The first I whacked away with my book, but then both the second and third pounced. I quickly went down under the brunt of their weight.

The attack became a blur of large jaws and huge teeth. The dogs crowded me, all trying to kill me at once. I felt the power of the belt as I knocked one of the monstrous dogs away. Upon reaching me, Sasha lifted that dog and tossed it away, then kicked a second, drawing both of them to him.

Now faced with only one, I found fighting much easier. I repeatedly bashed its head with my bible, not giving it a chance to attack until a last blow finally killed the beast.

"Thank you Alice," Sasha said, helping me off the ground. "I forgot we need to stay close together. Are you alright?"

"I think so…" But as I stood, I saw the cuts on Sasha. "You're not," I gasped. Opening my bible, I drew on its holy power to heal the damage claws had dealt. "Is that better?"

Sasha seemed impressed. "You're the best healer I've seen. It wasn't much though-just some scratches from the mutts," he said, indicating the two he had killed. Both had snapped necks.

Sasha was a strong fighter. I wondered how he would fare against Roger Bacon before dismissing the notion as ridiculous. Bacon was a powerful warlock. It had taken him little time to destroy my father, who had been employed by the Vatican. And yet, perhaps because Sasha was Dark-classed…if he could defend with darkness but attack with Light…

I shook my head. It was impossible for a person to have two different Elements.

A sharp cackle pulled me into reality. The grandmother dodged Sasha's kick, taunting him with, "Close, but you'll never catch me!" She disappeared again and Sasha started muttering in a low voice. If I listened closely I heard a stream of obscenities, so I chose to ignore Sasha for the moment.

Cautiously I moved forward a few feet, listening for any monsters and spirits. Instead, I heard snippets of a conversation. Had some of the demons retained their human form?

"Sasha…do you hear that?"

His eyes narrowed as he focused on the sound. "Yeah." He grabbed my wrist and forced me to stay behind him as we moved forward.

They were two men, standing in front of the gate. One was elderly, while the other seemed to be in his forties or fifties. The older man, dressed in red robes, was kneeling as he examined a symbol as wide as the gate. He murmured a few words in Chinese that I didn't know.

"The Wind of Heaven…that's Dehuai."

"Dehuai?" I asked Sasha.

"Alice, are they human or demon?"

"Human."

Instead of looking relieved, he frowned. "Keep your guard up. They might be working for him."

"Who's Dehuai?" I asked again.

"I think he put that curse on this village. Especially because that dog before mentioned a 'Tortoise God'…don't act like anything's wrong though. Just keep an eye on both of them."

Still mystified on what was happening, I followed Sasha. "Hey!" he shouted, calling their attention. "You guys stuck too?"

The younger man started, but the elder only turned to us. "We are. At first we might ask the villagers for some help, but then…" he glanced at the street we had come from, his monocle glinting in the light of the full moon. "They turned into demons."

"Yeah, they got pissed when we told 'em we didn't want to be their feast."

The elder chuckled, shaking his head. I noticed then he was not entirely bald, but had a small pigtail. "I can imagine. So, they're man-eating demons. A village nearby employed me to find out what was wrong and take care of it. Now all that's left is to eliminate these demons."

Sasha smirked. "We'll just get out of your way then."

"Hey, handsome, don't you want to stay and watch?" the other man asked, swaggering up to Sasha. Sasha made no response, but looked the man over, not with disgust or any apparent interest, but a cool, appraising eye.

"Both of you move out of the circle," he said. "I'm going to see if I can get that door opened."

"Go ahead, but I've already tried," the older man said.

Sasha moved into the circle after they cleared out. He placed his hand on the exact center and closed his eyes. With a few Latin words, black tendrils emerged from his fingers, wrapping themselves along the circle's design.

"Impressive," the elderly man said. To me he remarked, "Dark-classed?"

"Yes," I said. Not knowing what else to do, I introduced myself. "I'm Alice Elliot. An exorcist. Though I wasn't quite expecting to work here."

Sasha opened his dark brown eyes and looked at me with annoyance. But…why? There was nothing wrong with telling my name. The man didn't work with Roger Bacon…unlike him. I steadfastly looked away as Zhuzhen-the old man's name-explained he was an Adept, which was similar to an exorcist as far as I understood. And his companion was Meiyuan, an acupuncturist skilled at manipulating the control a person had over their weapon. "I think he put your friend off," Zhuzhen remarked. "He tends to scare off customers with his certain…predilections."

Meiyuan did not comment on this, too busy watching Sasha. I wondered what tastes Sasha had. He hadn't seemed offended by the acupuncturist's advance, although I did not mention this.

Oblivious to my thoughts, Sasha had forced his magic over half of the circle. He was slowing, tiring, and I realized his magic came only from practice, and not any sort of natural talent. His back sagged as if loaded with a great weight and I thought he would collapse. Zhuzhen grabbed my arm when I moved forward. "Not now," he said. "He won't be able to make a second attempt."

Sasha was breathing hard as his magic inched forward. His eyelids drooped as he struggled to stay conscious. Finally the circle was covered in black magic-and then it erupted in flames.

The fire covered him so quickly I only heard him yell in surprise. Then it was gone and he was left laying facedown, his arm badly burnt. Bible open, I ran to him and rolled him over. His arm had a horrible odor because of the burns and I was unsure if I could heal all the damage. The first time I cast the healing spell, it only cured half the burns. Sasha stirred but did not open his eyes. His mouth was set in a grimace from the pain.

Luckily, another Cure spell took care of the remaining burns. Zhuzhen was kind enough to place his canteen at Sasha's lips and let him drink, which helped him to come around. His eyes fluttered open, the movement making his long eyelashes more noticeable. "Safeguards…why do I always forget to check for safeguards?" he complained.

Zhuzhen shook his head. "I didn't remember either."

Sasha's almond eyes narrowed at the Adept. "With your long experience, how can you forget?"

The Chinese man laughed. "It's long and I'm old. Don't sulk; you're alive and, thanks to your friend here, perfectly fine." He smiled at me. "Quite a talented healer."

I blushed at the praise, embarrassed but pleased. Sasha only scowled, making me wonder why he was so suspicious. Then the man's Fire aura became more apparent as he examined the circle again. The safeguard was fire and he was a Fire class…Sasha suspected Zhuzhen of setting the safeguard!

"Yes, I'm sure of it," Zhuzhen said. "You can't get out this way."

"Ah, I hate this, I hate it," Meiyuan complained. "We're trapped."

Watching Meiyuan fidget, I did not think he was acting. Zhuzhen seemed genuine too, contrary to Sasha's suspicions. His aura must be coincidence; perhaps Dehuai was also a Fire class. I believed that he had been hired by another village to find out what was wrong. The only complaint I could find was the funny odor surrounding him.

"We're not trapped, stop crying," Zhuzhen said in exasperation. "All seals are locks, with keys to open them. We just need to find out what that key is."

"The shrine…?" I wondered, looking at Sasha. He was chewing on a leaf, grinding it with his teeth before swallowing.

"You're probably right. Yamaraja must be the key to this seal."

"And to get to Yamaraja, we have to ki…destroy the cat demon," I said.

"I take it these two are the leaders?" Zhuzhen said. "You both seem to know what you're doing. I'll help." He turned to the acupuncturist, who was fiddling with his blue headband. "Are you helping, or staying here?"

"I'll dodge monsters here," Meiyuan answered.

"Alright. So, Alice and…" He paused, waiting for Sasha to introduce himself; Sasha turned away and walked into the village.

"His name is Sasha," I told the Adept.

We trailed behind Sasha as we searched for the demon. Even when Sasha slowed to let us catch up, I remained closer to Zhuzhen, glad for the elder's presence. After all, Zhuzhen hadn't been aiding Roger Bacon earlier in the night.

The cat demon had returned to the same hiding place. Her cocky grin disappeared quickly at Zhuzhen's approach. "What is this smell?!" she demanded. Before anyone could answer, she vanished, choosing to hide somewhere else.

"So your smell wards off demons?" Sasha asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse."

Zhuzhen threw his head back, allowing himself a hearty chuckle. "It's not me, it's something I have. It only works at cat demons though."

"That explains the dogs," I said. Both men looked at me, puzzled. None of the demons were visible yet, but I could sense them close by. I focused on the closest aura and waited until it flared. I spun around as the dog leaped from where it had hid, giving the dog a heavy blow with my bible. It was an instant knockout, but the dog's momentum, which I had forgotten to consider, carried its body into mine, bowling me over.

Sasha smirked. "Trying to show off?" he asked as he bent down to help me.

"Sasha, behind you!" I said. Before Sasha could turn, a fireball from Zhuzhen had sent the second demon running. The Adept was shaking his head.

"At least she was paying attention."

Sasha frowned as he looked down at me. "Alright. We'll call it even." With his help, the heavy dog was lifted off and I could breathe much more comfortably. "You fine?"

"Yeah-yes. It hurts a bit, but it's not too bad." I was too embarrassed over what had happened to complain, but it really hurt.

The woman reappeared at the well. She seemed quite predictable, really. "So she'll be at the shrine next?" Sasha mused. The logic made sense to me, so I agreed and Zhuzhen followed us. The peddler must have hidden himself again, because I did not see him but felt his presence.

Inside the shrine, there was no demon. After a few seconds I felt the danger and backed away as several ghosts emerged from their corpses-only to hear growls behind me.

"We're surrounded."

"Well, that was clever," Sasha muttered.

"There's over a dozen," Zhuzhen said, his eyes sweeping over the shrine, "and that's just spirits."

"Do you think you could buy me a little time?" Sasha asked. "I know a spell that might take care of this, but it'll take a bit."

I looked at Zhuzhen. We both nodded and then turned. Faced with the dogs, I was quickly occupied keeping all four away from Sasha. To my horror, they all attacked at once, bringing me to my knees. I felt a strong heat behind me, undoubtedly from Zhuzhen's flame attacks. I quickly cast Cure and stood again, only to fall back as they attacked.

"Just a little more…" Sasha's voice was strained. "There! **Revelation**!"

A light grew over him, filling the entire room. Then the light turned black and struck, killing all the monsters at once.

"Wow," I whispered, turning to him. "Sasha, that's…Sasha?"

I got up on my knees as Sasha fell backwards, hoping to break his fall. And I did, ending up on my back with my lower legs pinned under me. "Ow," I said. It really didn't hurt, but it was awfully awkward, especially with Sasha's head on my chest.

Zhuzhen used his staff as a lever, sticking it between Sasha and me to roll him over.

"Wore himself out with that spell," Zhuzhen told me. "Rather risky…but it worked. Do you have any mana leaves?"

"Mana leaves?" I echoed, wondering if I had heard him right.

"To strengthen the mind. Well, maybe he has some." Zhuzhen sat down and took Sasha's satchel, rifling through it. "Let's see…ah." He took out a leaf and ripped it into small pieces, slowly feeding Sasha.

Sasha's eyes began to open after the third bite, though he was rather drowsy until he finished the leaf. Then his eyes focused on my face. "You alright Alice?"

I realized I was still bleeding. My hand brushed against the wound as I healed it. "Yes. What about you?"

"Me? My head hurts. That's it."

"No more spells," I said firmly. He did seem worn out. One of the missionaries in Changchun had told me too many spells for a person could be lethal. Sasha was being reckless.

He smiled faintly, wincing at his headache. "Yes ma'am. I don't think I could if I wanted to, anyways. Can't focus enough."

"Good." Zhuzhen and I helped him get back on his feet. Despite the overwhelming effect it had had on both demons and ghosts, the spell had not disturbed a single bone in the pile. There was no way around it; we would have to destroy the cat demon.

"She couldn't have gone down the street," Sasha said. "There's no way she could have snuck past Alice."

"That good of a perception?" Zhuzhen said. "Rather talented, both of you."

Sasha gave another of his confident smirks. "You haven't seen my real talent yet."

I wondered about that. It seemed true; his aura was stronger than most people's, and yet he had no special talent at spell casting. But I suppose we'd find out soon enough. "Is she in her house then?" I asked. "That's the only other place."

My shoes sank into the red mud as we left the shrine. Was it only me, or were there more pools of blood than before? It was almost as if the massacre was happening all over again. But there were no ghosts here to make such a phenomenon occur. Could the very earth remember the blood spilled on it?

A hand shook my shoulder. Sasha's voice reached my ears. "Alice?"

"The whole village remembers," I told him. Maybe my voice was too soft for him to hear. He took my hand and led me to Zhuzhen. I heard someone ask if I was all right. "I'm fine."

They both looked unsure. I closed my eyes, blocking out the pools of blood. I faced the grandmother's house and walked inside, followed by Sasha and Zhuzhen.

Sure enough, the demon reappeared, only to be put off by the odor around Zhuzhen. Sasha was put off too. "You can't keep scaring her off with that smell."

"It's attracting her too." Zhuzhen brought out a hidden pouch from within his Adept robes. He opened it and a fresh wave of the awful odor came. Inside there was some kind of blue plant.

"Catnip," Zhuzhen explained. "The dye is what gives off the bad smell. To cats it's horrible. The smell of catnip attracts them but the pungent dye is even stronger to their noses. If the smell is strong enough, the cat demon goes mad."

"So, let's drive her up the wall," Sasha said, grinning.

"We'll have to burn it." Zhuzhen looked around the room but didn't seem to find what he was looking for. "We need a metal vessel and some wood."

"I'll get them," Sasha volunteered. "Are you alright if I leave you here?" he asked, looking at me.

I understood what he was really asking. 'Will you be alright if I leave you with Zhuzhen.' He wanted to know if I had any doubts about Zhuzhen. If I did, he wouldn't leave.

"Zhuzhen and I will be fine," I answered, smiling. I did trust Zhuzhen. All he had done was help us. Sasha nodded and left.

I took out my bible and began reading. I usually read the scriptures every day. It was a calming ritual. But the movements of the Adept pacing back and forth distracted me.

"He's going out…aren't you wondering if he's fine? Or is he that good a fighter."

"I wouldn't know. We only met a few hours ago," I said. "But he's confident."

"Cockiness is not good in these situations," Zhuzhen grumbled, sitting besides me. "Even if he's sure, you just…don't seem like a person who could watch someone go into danger and not worry."

The comment stung, even though it was obviously not an insult. But I wasn't worried. Why should I be? I doubted he would die. And even if he died…was it really so bad? He had been helping my father's murderer…and his magic was similar…how could he be a good person? It was such a horrible thought.

"What does a class tell you about a person?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Eh? Well…Fire classes like me are usually very vibrant. Water classes can be just so, but are more subtle. But then, sometimes they're also very forceful. Like a tsunami." Zhuzhen tapped his staff as he thought. "Earth classes are mostly straightforward. Air classes are very volatile. They're always interesting to be with. Light classes are very plain in a way-they're usually not devious. Ordered, you could say. There are exceptions, of course."

"Of course," I echoed. "And Dark classes?"

"If you're asking about your companion, I can't make heads or tails of him. His aura seems very agitated, but in this situation…"

"He was troubled before too. I can't tell if I should trust him."

"I think you can. Has he lied to you?"

"No." _Only tried to kidnap me._

"I'm pretty sure you can trust him. He reminds me of a good friend I once had. Sometimes you couldn't tell what the devil he was thinking, but he'd never go back on you. He bears such a resemblance…"

But appearances could be deceiving. This village had at first seemed a refuge when it was anything but. Would Sasha suddenly change back into Bacon's accomplice?

"He says he wants to help me get back home," I said aloud. "But there's someone else who doesn't want me to go back. I don't know what he wants from me…but Sasha would probably have to fight him."

"Is that a problem?"

"Sasha couldn't beat him in a straight fight," I said. There was another problem, but that was only if he was lying. For now, I'd assume he was telling the truth. It was the only way to operate here. Later…later… "We both couldn't. But since he's Dark-classed, if Sasha could attack with Light-classed attacks, we could have a chance. A slim chance." I laughed softly. "What am I saying? That's impossible, and even if it wasn't, we still wouldn't have a prayer."

"It is possible," Zhuzhen told me. His eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated. "Master taught a spell to imbue objects with one's aura. Since you're a Light-class you could imbue him with light, so he could attack with light but defend with his own darkness. That's what you were thinking, right?"

Excited, I almost tossed aside the bible before remembering to put it down more reverently. I faced the Adept. "How does it go?"

He licked his lips. Then he tapped his staff on the floor. Then he repeated the process. My heart sank when I realized the answer. "You…don't remember, do you?"

He had a sheepish smile. "I am getting old. I can't remember, but I know it is possible. If it comes back to me I'll tell you."

The door swung open noisily and both Zhuzhen and I raised our weapons. Then we lowered them again, because it was Sasha. He was holding a metal bowl, crusted with dried blood, and a torch.

"Got it."

I winced at the bowl's appearance, but Zhuzhen took the bowl and placed the blue catnip in it. He put the torch on fire himself with a touch of his fingers and put it next to the catnip, making both burn steadily. I wrinkled my nose as the thick smoke rose.

"That is nasty," Sasha commented.

Fortunately, we only had to wait a few seconds before Granny Mayor could bear the odor no longer. She appeared in her human form, but I could see she was losing control of the disguise as she hissed at us. Then she changed.

Similar to her grandchildren, her body resembled more a bear than a cat. Unlike her grandchildren, she was huge, towering above Sasha by a full head. Zhuzhen struck first, casting a fireball at the demon. When it made contact it burst into a wave of flames. Sasha rushed in as the fire subsided, punching twice before claws swept up, catching him on the side of his head. Sasha staggered as blood rushed down. Zhuzhen and I rushed forward, the Adept attacking with his staff as I helped Sasha back. His ear was badly damaged and I cupped my hand over it, whispering the Cure spell. I took my hand off. His ear looked normal.

"Thanks. She's fast," Sasha said. Zhuzhen was taking a wiser approach, only hitting once before stepping away. His evasiveness was frustrating the cat demon and she was becoming more desperate. I stepped forward to help him, but Sasha cut me off. "We need you to heal," he said, making it clear where I should stay. He joined in the fray, forcing the cat demon to try fighting in two directions. Unable to decide whom to defend against, the cat demon howled in fury as Sasha gave it a vicious double kick. Frustrated it focused its narrow eyes on the weaker fighter, Zhuzhen. It barreled after him, forcing him up against the wall and clawing at his chest before Sasha kicked it hard in the side, knocking the demon down. I healed Zhuzhen, watching as the white sparks entered his body. As if light itself was entering him…

Now that the demon was down, the battle was short and brutal. The two men worked together to take full advantage of her defenselessness. But Zhuzhen grabbed Sasha's arm before he could land a final blow. "Wait. She's changing back."

The grandmother reappeared, bruised and bleeding. Holding a hand to her stomach, she glared at us contemptuously. "You'll never…know the pain of giving birth only…to have them eaten…"

Zhuzhen shook his head. "Let your hatred go and rest. I'll ask my employers to pray for you and the others."

She laughed hoarsely. "Prayers! What nonsense…Yamaraja!" she called. "I leave everything to you." The elderly woman gasped and clutched her stomach. She coughed furiously, each spasm bringing up blood. It was clear she was in agony. Zhuzhen stopped that with a swift blow. The hit cracked her skull and she sank down to the floor, her eyes rolled back into her head.

Sasha stood and brushed himself off. "Now for Yamaraja."

When he turned to me I saw that his small talisman was yellow in the center. I hadn't noticed that before.

Our path to the shrine and Yamaraja was uneventful except for Sasha buying a bandanna and belt for Zhuzhen. I wasn't sure if he trusted Zhuzhen more or just wanted to have a better chance of defeating the demon we were about to face. I felt myself growing nervous and asked, "This Yamaraja…I've never heard of a demon like that."

"He's one of the lords of hell," Zhuzhen said. My heart sank further as he said that.

"But he's not too tough, right? Sasha? You called him a 'shrimp' before."

The fighter folded his arms. "I said that just to piss the dog off. Yamaraja's going to be hard to fight."

Now I was full of dread as we approached the cave's mouth. Sasha was unsure, and he had just volunteered to go alone and search around in a village full of demons. He had seemed fearless, and now that he was showing a little trepidation, I was feeling a lot.

Sasha walked up to a skull in the skeleton wall that was level with his stomach. He slipped two gloved fingers into the eye sockets and pulled it out, making an entire section of the wall crumble. He shook off the skull and it rolled away. I wished he would not be so disrespectful to the people who died here.

"Everyone ready?" he asked with one hand on the shrine door. "Once I fling this back, Yamaraja's going to be pissed and ready to kill."

"I'm ready."

I felt my bible, praying for strength. I stood behind Zhuzhen, realizing I would probably be healing often. "I am too."

Sasha opened the shrine. As the ground started shaking I knew that I was not ready, I was terrified. I took deep breaths to steady myself. But when Yamaraja appeared, I forgot how to breathe.

The demon appeared as a true lord of hell, with both golden crown and scepter. The crown scraped small rocks off the cave's roof as the gigantic blue devil stared down at us. The bones of the villagers snapped like twigs under his feet. I was prevented from fainting by the realization that the scepter was coming at me. I dodged as Zhuzhen fired balls of flame at the monster for distraction. Sasha tried to get in, but his close range method of fighting was useless against the scepter, which was as tall as him. Yamaraja allowed only one kick to land before batting Sasha into another part of the stone wall. Sasha flailed as the bones piled around him and Yamaraja turned his attention to us. I healed Sasha as Zhuzhen tried to go up with the devil. Zhuzhen's staff allowed him a wider range than Sasha, but the demon's weapon was still longer and Yamaraja was stronger. Still, Zhuzhen's surprising agility kept him from being injured too badly. As Sasha emerged from the pile, the lord of hell retreated to the back of the cave and raised his scepter. The cave filled with water, tossing us and the pile of bones around. Caught in the middle, I held my breath and curled into a small ball so that less of the hard bones hit me.

The water drained away and I filled my lungs with fresh air. I looked around. Sasha seemed fine, despite a few bruises. Zhuzhen's breath was ragged and he was on his hands and knees. He was a Fire class. He was weak against water magic and the bones had made it worse by cutting and bruising him. Sensing his weakness, the demon approached him. Quickly I opened my bible. "Cure!" I shouted. The spell healed all of the cuts and most of the bruises, allowing Zhuzhen to get back on his feet. Seeing the Adept stand, Yamaraja paused, and then turned to me. If he had possessed eyes, they would have narrowed at me.

"Oh. Great…it's a demon with brains," Sasha commented, moving swiftly towards the devil. Zhuzhen prepared a Fire spell, but the demon was already raising his staff. I hesitated before moving and received a glancing blow to the head, one that probably would have cracked my skull if I had stayed put.

There was a second blow as I was still reeling. I heard two cracks and breathing became an agonizing experience. Sasha pounded away at the demon, but it was only when Zhuzhen cast fire at it that it left me.

My breathing was shallow, as it hurt too much to take a full breath. I tried to heal myself, but my brain felt like it was being quartered. It was impossible to concentrate and so I only hoped that we would survive somehow as everything blurred. My eyes closed, but I still heard Zhuzhen and Sasha calling me for a while before my mind simply shut down.

Some time later, I opened my eyes to Zhuzhen's weathered face. He had me eat two leaves. One was plain, but the other was bitter. I almost gagged on it. Strangely, I felt much calmer after eating it. I guessed the other to be a Thera because the pain in my chest eased a bit.

I could hear a fight and the sound of two demons fighting. Worried, I tried to see around Zhuzhen. "Where's Sasha? Is he alright?" I asked as I stood.

There were two demons: Yamaraja and a demon resembling a tiger I had seen at a zoo. He walked upright and parts of his fur were green. For some strange reason, the two demons were fighting each other. But where was Sasha? For a minute I thought he was dead, but there wasn't even a body. Zhuzhen aimed me in the right direction: "He's the tiger."

I watched as the tiger attacked twice, sweeping its long claws against Yamaraja's body. Yamaraja countered with a water attack. "That's Sasha?"

"Yes."

I wished I could say that Zhuzhen must be joking. But underneath the creature's Earth aura, there laid a stronger aura. Dark-classed, and Sasha's undoubtedly. I remembered Sasha's words, that we had not seen his real talent. That he could turn into a demon. That he was a demon.

"Hoped the Pure leaf would keep you from panicking," Zhuzhen said a bit nervously. He was taking my silence as a bad sign. But though I felt a bit afraid, I was nowhere near panicking.

"Will he harm us if we get close?"

Zhuzhen shook his head. "He seems to be in control. He healed me before."

The tiger stepped back and roared so loudly I covered my ears. Magic rose from the earth, wrapping around its body and healing it.

Despite the fact that it was a demon-or maybe because of it-the tiger was a better fighter than Sasha. Both stronger and faster, and with an ability to heal itself, the tiger stood a good chance against Yamaraja. The lord of hell was actually weakening. I knew I wouldn't be needed for healing. As Zhuzhen began another spell, I approached Yamaraja, raised my bible, and struck as the tiger sunk in its claws, and Zhuzhen cast his spell. Yamaraja was pressed back against his shrine and then claws, bible, and staff were pounding into the demon.

Once the fight was over, the tiger demon pulled back with a low growl in its throat. There was a flash as it disappeared and Sasha's aura was unmasked. He looked weak and tired for a moment, but then gathered himself together. "My pouch," he said, holding his hand out. Zhuzhen gave it and Sasha selected three leaves, eating them all at once. "Better."

The demon's body faded, leaving only the scattered bones. "They should be buried…" I said, worried.

"They'll be cremated," Zhuzhen said. "I think that's better. Once they're ashes, the way they died will no longer matter."

"Cremation's certainly easier," Sasha said. "C'mon Alice, time to get out of here."

"Wait." Zhuzhen's voice stopped me, but Sasha continued walking for a while. When he stopped it was with a sigh.

"Look old man, make this quick. I'm really starting to get sick off this place."

"It's about who did this," Zhuzhen said, unbothered by Sasha's brusque tone. "I thought he'd died fifteen years ago--"

"Alright, alright, alright. God, you Taoists never know when to let up on the mysticism. It's Dehuai. I guess you must know him, being an Adept."

The older man's voice held a note of surprise as he asked, "And just how do you know him?"

"I've been around." Sasha gave a careless shrug.

"Underground?"

"A bit."

"You're a criminal?" I asked.

He smiled at me, apparently amused by my shock. "What, you didn't expect that? Kidnapping is a crime, you know."

Of course. Kidnapping was a serious crime. And especially when you were taking a prisoner from an army. To be willing to do such a thing, he had to be a hardened criminal. But I hadn't considered it. I thought he was rather young to be such a person. In a way, I felt depressed knowing he was.

"Then you probably know your way around," Zhuzhen said, "But Alice-" I turned to him, lifting my eyes from the ground, "Be careful with your talent. Sasha could probably tell you there are many who would love to use your powers--but they wouldn't give a second thought to your well-being."

"Shut up!" Sasha burst out, walking up to Zhuzhen, "I'm taking care of her. She won't get into any trouble!"

"You too kid. Fusion is a forbidden power. If you lose control, you'll be a danger to everyone around you." Sasha snorted. "Alright, don't listen to me. You should know well enough. I suppose you learned it from your father?"

Zhuzhen has said the wrong thing. I could sense a hatred welling up in Sasha as he turned to the Adept. "Do you work for Dehuai?"

Zhuzhen raised an eyebrow. "If I did, I wouldn't have thought he was dead."

"Is he telling the truth?" he asked me.

I wavered betweeen the two men, wondering what was going on. "Umm..."

"Don't look at him, look at me!" Sasha yelled, clenching his fists. The hate dominated his aura now. "Is he lying or not?"

"No!" I said. "I"m sure he's not."

Slowly Sasha calmed after I answered, though the anger was not gone. "Fine then," he said. "But if you--" he pointed at Zhuzhen-- " If you breathe one word of this to Dehuai, I'll make you wish you'd been one of these villagers."

I felt hollow inside. Sasha meant it. He actually meant, and believed, that he could make Zhuzhen suffer worse than these people had! What was he capable of?

There were so many things wrong with him. He was a demon, his magic was so much like Roger Bacon's, he had been helping Roger Bacon, he was a criminal, he was threatening someone who had only helped us! How could I have thought he had good intentions in 'rescuing' me? And I--I was supposed to rely on him? I backed up to the cave's mouth, wishing I could wake up from this nightmare.

"Don't worry. I won't tell," Zhuzhen said as he stood.

"Good," Sasha replied. Then he looked around, finally spotting me. His eyebrows drew together as he asked, "Alice, what's wrong?"

My face must have told him everything with the tears rising in my eyes. It blurred my vision, but I could still see Sasha walking towards me. I shook my head, some sound trying to escape my throat, and then I turned and ran.

"Alice!" Both of the men were startled, but Sasha's voice also held another tone. Desperation? I heared the sound of his boots pounding behind me and knew he was giving chase. It spurred my run.

I knew Sasha was fast, but he was not afraid. I had learned that fear gave you agility. I remembered how in Rouen my shoes had barely touched the streets as I ran from Roger Bacon, my father's death cry still ringing in my ears.

And just when I thought I was running as fast as humanly possible, a hand grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn and see Sasha.

"What is wrong with you?" he demanded, breathing hard.

"Let go of me!" I shouted, trying to wrench my arm out of his grip. "Let go!"

"Why are you trying to run?"

I refused to answer him; he should know well enough why. Instead I tried to break away from his grip by putting all my weight into the effort. Still I could not get away. I remembered something one of the missionaries had taught me then, that a person's grip was weakest at their thumb. But when I tried, he still held on. His grip was like a vise. I couldn't escape. "Let me go!"

"I'm not going to until you calm down."

I brought my other hand up, thinking to either punch or slap or scratch him but before I could do anything, he grabbed that wrist too and pressed me against the well. I struggled futilely. All Sasha had to do was hold me and all my attempts were useless. That was how weak I was. I could kick and scream all I wanted and nothing would happen.

Finally I stopped, my chest heaving with dry sobs after I'd run out of tears. I saw Zhuzhen watching us, leaning slightly on his staff. Why wouldn't he help me? Why didn't he do anything?

Seeing I was too exhausted to fight anymore, Sasha leaned forward. "Look Alice, I can see why you don't trust me. I know. But if you'll let me, I'll protect you. You'll have nothing to worry about while I'm with you. I promise...no one's going to touch you." My eyes were aimed at the ground as the last tears dripped off my face. He put a hand to my face to wipe them off. I hated the familiar gesture and turned away. "Why are you so suspicious of me? Do your Demon Eyes tell you not to trust me?"

"Demon Eyes?" I said, more because I didn't want to answer his question.

"Your seeing talent. What does it tell you about me?"

"That your dangerous. But sincere about wanting to help me. I don't know why though." I met his eyes, my hands clenching. "So tell me why."

"I guess I...just wanted to see your talents for myself, and understand why someone would want your powers. After all, you only heal. But if someone wanted you for healing, you'd think they'd just come ask, not kidnap you. I never thought of a Light class as destructive. I want to see just what you can do."

"Isn't it obvious?" I said, choking out a laugh. "I can't do anything."

He let me go and I sat on the well's edge. "You're just tired. It's been a long night. But we still have to get somewhere safe. I know Fengtian. If we walk, it'll take until morning. But we'll have somewhere to rest."

"That's fine," I said softly.

"So you two are alright?" Zhuzhen asked. "Then, since my work's done, I'll be returning to my employers. Better get Meiyuan, so he doesn't give you problems." He looked at Sasha as he said this.

Sasha gave an aloof farewell. "Thank you for helping us, Zhuzhen. We couldn't have escaped the demons without you," I said.

Zhuzhen laughed cheerfully. "You are polite. I hope we meet again--though, not under these kind of circumstances."

I didn't want him to leave. I wanted to ask if we could go with him, but I didn't want to impose...and Sasha probably wouldn't want to go there anyways. "I hope so too," I said, forcing a smile I didn't feel.

After watching him leave, Sasha turned to me. "Alright, let's go."

Sasha...may I see your hands?" I asked. My legs dangled above the ground as I sat on the well. Puzzled, Sasha held out his hands. "You'll protect me, right?" He nodded. I took his hands, feeling the cool leather, and focused my energy on them as if I was healing. But I concentrated on trapping the energy so it didn't flow into him, but around his hands. "It's a new spell. I listened to what you told me." The sparks danced around his hands, casting strange flickering shadows on the ground.

"You're a fast learner." He was at first pleased, but then he frowned. "Who do you expect me to fight?"

I averted my eyes, not knowing how he would respond. "I thought Roger Bacon might come after me again." There was some silence; I thought he was upset until he sighed.

"He's not the one who wants you," Sasha said. "I didn't want to talk about it in front of that Adept, but Dehuai is the one who wants you. We were just supposed to get you."

My head shot up at this news. I stared at him. Roger Bacon didn't want me? Then what was my father's death for? "What does he want me for?" I asked.

"An experiment...he wants to call forth a god." His tone was contemptuous and he looked away, to the ground.

"If you don't approve, why were you helping?"

"Look, it's a complicated situation, and I've already messed up." He shook his head. By this time in the night, his hair looked as if he'd been zapped by lightning. "I'm in such trouble..."

_If you're a criminal, you deserve to be in trouble_, I thought, but said nothing. It was obvious he was being evasive on the subject. I let it go as the sparks let go of his gloves, dissipating in the air. I slid off the well and smoothed my skirt. Sasha led the way out of the village. On our way out we were accosted by the peddler. He was profuse with his gratitude and insisted that Sasha take the card he presented us with. It had a picture of a snake on it. I examined the illustration as the peddler explained:

"I'm part of a guild, y'see. It's a guild of shops. We sell items and--well, just show the card to a guild member and they'll tell you the rest. I've got to be going now, my wife must be worried."

Zhuzhen and Meiyuan had already left. We did not see them at the gate. "Good riddance Zhaoyang," Sasha said as we passed through.

"I have a question," I said, relieved that I could speak in English now.

"Shoot."

"You were working for Dehuai...but you don't want Zhuzhen to tell him about meeting you here. You're in a complicated situation. Is there...something you hid from Dehuai? Your..." I searched for the word Zhuzhen had used. "...fusion ability?"

There was a moment of silence as Sasha's pouch swung back and forth. "Sasha isn't my birth name."

"I see. Then may I know your real name?"

"'Sasha' has been my real name for fifteen years." Now, just as before, his voice made it clear he would answer no more. It was unfair; he knew so much about me and my abilities, while I knew only what my seeing talent could tell me. We were not equals. It was then that I understood I had not been rescued at all; I had only switched captors. I had moved from an iron cage to one of glass, one a little bigger but with just as secure a lock.

Throughout the night we walked through the tall grass, headed towards Fengtian. Sasha was navigating; I was wondering if there were poisonous snakes hiding in the grass. Or worse, those hideous spiders. Sasha was much more opened when I questioned him about these: he assured me that if they were in these plains, we would have seen them already--or be dead. He proceeded to add a vivid description of how they killed their victims. It involved filing their victims with acid through a particular body part and then waiting for their flesh to dissolve. Needless to say, I was sickened with disgust and did not talk to him anymore.

Sasha set a brisk pace, as if he was fresh and had not been fighting demons and spirits for the past few hours. I somehow found the strength to follow him, but my feet began to hurt. Eventually my brain went to sleep, only to rouse occasionally to remind me I was an idiot following a man tied to my father's murderer and giving myself blisters in the meantime. Then I told my brain to shut up. It went back to sleep.

So we continued on this way for the whole night. Neither of us spoke a word until dawn. Then Sasha said, "We'll be there soon."

I mumbled some reply. My mind was so tired I had barely uttered the words before I'd forgotten them.

"It's still an hour."

Another reply. Or did I reply?

"Well, this is unexpected," Sasha said seriously, but he already had a smile. "Are you a zombie, Alice? Should I get some holy water?"

"You're mean," I told him, irritated.

"Sorry, sorry. What's wrong?"

"I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, and my feet hurt." Under any other circumstances, I would not have complained. But in this situation, and with one of the guilty parties right next to me, I felt I had a right to.

"Well, I don't have anything to eat or drink. But..." He stopped walking suddenly and I almost ran into his back. Without warning, he bent down and plucked me up by the knees. Thrown off balance, I grabbed his neck so I wouldn't fall. "Don't choke me," he said, his tone annoyed. "Lean on me, not away."

"What are you doing?" I said, wishing he would put me down.

"Giving you a ride, what did you think? And stop leaning away, you're throwing me off. Rest on my back."

"But-but aren't you tired?" Hesitantly I leaned onto him, still hot in the face because of the close contact. No one had carried me like this except my father, and that was when I was a little girl!

"No, I'm good. You're pretty light."

Again I was thrown into confusion about what to think of Sasha. Was he my savior or captor? He performed the actions of one with the motives on another. I rested my head on the dark fabric of his shirt, his dark brown hair mingling with my white blonde strands. He was a chivalrous ruffian and a criminal gentleman.

And what should I do? Should I trust him completely, or keep an eye on him? Should I have run away before in the clearing, when he was unconscious? No, I believed I had done the right thing then--to leave him alone, asleep and hurt, might have been his death. I remembered the parable of the good Samaritan--and yet, what were you expected to do when your neighbor had tried to kidnap you, and for all I could see, actually had?

The thoughts chased themselves around and around in my head, but my eyelids drooped. I felt the weight of the gold cross and bible I carried and decided that all I could do for now was trust in God. I recited softly a prayer asking for His protection. The last thing I heard before I fell asleep was Sasha's echo of 'Amen.'


	2. Fengtian: Tiny Missteps

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Shadow Hearts. Which means I don't own anything in this rewrite. Fizzerschnitzels.

**

I found myself sitting in a darkened room, seeing little more than shadows. Across from me, a woman was huddled over, crying softly, strapped in a chair. I couldn't reach out, so instead I watched as her body trembled. Still sobbing, she choked out the words, "Sasha…help him…"

She had the same voice as Sasha's 'witch'. But she wanted to help him? I tried to speak, but gradually I realized I wasn't really there, simply…perhaps summoned by this woman.

"Save him…his heart…maimed," she whispered. Her words were disjointed in her pain, but I understood the message. A metal door groaned open, and both the woman and I turned to see Roger Bacon. He chuckled.

"The keys have met then. And yet, will you talk to only her and Sasha? That will not do at all." His hand moved to a lever on the wall, which he pulled down. The woman screamed in pain. She was strapped in an electric chair! I could feel the electricity too, crawling along my skin and piercing my mind. As the pain increased, I twisted and turned for a way to get out of the nightmare—

"Hey."

I cried out and hit the face looming over mine. Sasha backed away and rubbed his cheek, wincing.

"I was gonna ask if you were alright, but you seem energetic enough," he groused. He kept rubbing his cheek as I woke up. My bed for the night had been a bench, so my head was a bit sore. The sun was directly overhead, blocked only by a stature over the bench. It was noon then.

"Oh. Sorry," I said halfheartedly, still looking around. We were in a city, surrounded by tall buildings. Then I was distracted by a lone puppy sitting a few feet from us, barking energetically. "Oh, how cute!" I gushed, picking him up.

Since I had vacated the seat, Sasha sat on it, munching on some food. "Typical. First thing you notice is a stray."

"But he's adorable," I said. "I love dogs." The puppy licked my face as I held him. I giggled.

"Well, I got some food if you're hungry. Fried rice." He passed me a small box, along with some chopsticks. Luckily, I knew how to use them. The puppy with light brown fur whimpered when he saw me eating. I picked out pieces of beef and tossed them to him. He jumped in the air to get the scraps.

"Don't feed the damn dog," Sasha said.

"He is not a 'damn dog'," I retorted. "He's a puppy and he's hungry." After giving him all the meat, I ate the rice and vegetables. It was enough to appease my growling stomach.

"Whatever. I'm not buying any more food until dinner, so if you get hungry, tough luck."

I ignored Sasha and patted the puppy's head. He barked and rolled over, letting me scratch his little tummy. "Good boy."

"Good God," I heard Sasha mutter behind me. A little louder, he asked, "So what were you dreaming about?"

"It was nothing." All the other times I had tried to tell him the witch might be helpful, I had been met with skepticism and disbelief. I doubted it would be different now. I was confident the witch wanted to help him. But why? And why did he need help?

I looked behind me. Sasha was meticulously eating with his chopsticks, his leather gloves stripped off to handle them better. He paused when he saw me watching and raised an eyebrow to question. I turned back around and petted the puppy when he yipped.

Did Sasha have a maimed heart? The idea seemed ludicrous. If he did, he was an excellent actor. If anything, he had a heart of ice, devoid of any morals.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" he asked.

"Yes."

He sighed. "Alright then. Where do you think we should go from here?"

"I have to go back to Changchun. I want to tell the missionaries I'm all right. And they might have somewhere for me to go."

"That's too obvious," Sasha said. "You've already been there, both Dehuai and the Japanese army know that."

I scooped up the puppy and glared at him. "Well then, you pick," I snapped.

He frowned at me, his eyebrows drawing together. "What'd I do?"

"You kidnapped me!"

"Not technically—"

"For all practical purposes! You won't let me make my own decisions!" The puppy whimpered at my yelling and I stroked him absently.

"Alright," he said. "We'll go to Changchun if you want. Keep your voice down." He looked around nervously, hoping no one had heard me. Though, since I'd been yelling in English, probably no one would have understood. "I'm just saying it's not a smart idea."

"That's your opinion."

Sasha grumbled and shook his head. "Fine. Let's see when the next train is. Train station's this way," he said, beginning to walk away. I quickly followed him, still holding the small puppy. My mind was split between appreciating the dog's cuteness and being annoyed with Sasha for pretending to give me a choice and then trying to take it away. I was settled on the opinion that he was another captor, though the least of evils; he wasn't malicious, at least. It was more than I could say for Dehuai, who had destroyed an entire village, and the army, who had shot two of the missionaries while capturing me. They hadn't even allowed me to try healing them after I'd agreed to go with them. Sasha, on the other hand…well, he hadn't done any harm yet.

Sasha suddenly pushed me to the side, making the puppy growl at him. "What is it?" I asked.

"Stay behind me, there's a soldier."

Up in the street, a Japanese soldier and a Chinese civilian were arguing. Their voices were too distant to make out what they were saying, and their expressions hard to decipher over Sasha's shoulder. The civilian was obviously disgusted as he walked away. Then he spotted us. He began waving, indicating we should come in the building he was standing at. I could just hear him say it was his store. The soldier had left, so Sasha nodded and, grabbing my hand, led me inside. Before we could enter though, the man made it clear the dog had to be left outside. He whimpered when I put him down.

It was to our surprise that we found none other than Meiyuan standing inside. "Are you stalking me?" Sasha asked.

"You got it!" and he winked at Sasha. I began laughing as he shook his head.

"Where's that Adept?"

"At the train station. He got another job in Dalian. I'm supposed to be getting supplies, but since you're here, handsome, why don't we…"

"We've got a schedule of our own," Sasha interjected. Meiyuan pouted and said nothing more. As Sasha passed him, however, he took the opportunity to slap my companion's rear and call him a 'cutie-pie'.

Both Sasha and I were red in the face and I quickly pretended to be looking at the accessories on display as he inquired to the woman—probably the owner's wife—what prices were. A book caught my eyes. It had a gold embossed cover and a lovely picture of a falling star in a sunset sky. Picking it up carefully, I flipped it open and began to read, delighted to see English letters.

Seated in the corner next to a radio playing static, I began reading. It began with a description of a fantastic land, too wonderful to be real; where flowers and trees were in full bloom all year long, and there was neither death nor decay. Five pages later, I was interrupted by Sasha, who was holding up two brown skirts.

"Which one would fit you?"

I took both leather skirts and held them against my lower body. Both seemed short, but then I realized that was part of their design. I handed the smaller one back to him. "Too small."

"So the bigger one?" he asked, reaching for that one as well.

"Yes." When he turned to go, I asked, "Um—this seems like it would make a good weapon." I held up the book, facing the cover out for his inspection.

"Do you want to whack monsters with it, or do you want to read it?" It was clear he thought that I would only read.  He'd found me out. Was I that obvious?

"Well—I'd fight with it too—"

"No," he interrupted. "Besides, you shouldn't be doing any more fighting."

"Then why are you buying that?" I asked, pointing to the short skirt.

"Just in case. You don't need anything for offense, and you're silly if you think a book will hurt Dehuai. Hey—what's wrong?" he asked, baffled, as I began to sniffle.

I easily worked my way up to tears, having figured out a long time ago how to cry on will. "You're—you're so mean Sasha," I sobbed in Chinese. "First you kidnap me, then you threaten a poor old man, and now—"

"Alright, alright! I'll buy the book," Sasha said hastily, well aware that the couple in charge of the shop were listening to my outburst. I handed the book to him and, as Sasha handed the book to the woman, heard him explaining, "These European girls…always so demanding, and they throw the wildest tantrums…kidnapping, when I try taking her out somewhere…"

The husband was actually nodding sympathetically as his wife rung up the purchase of steel blade knuckles, a black leather vest, and my book and skirt. Sasha presented the snake card and, after seeing it, the couple informed him they were members of the guild and that the card was good for a ten percent discount.

Once the exchange was done, Sasha slid the book on the counter to me. "Didn't know you could act like that. Did you guilt trip your parents a lot or something?"

"No," I said, my cheeks flushing slightly, "I want to be an actress."

Sasha gave me an odd look. "Okay," he said, straightening from the counter. "I've never heard of an exorcist wanting to be an actress. But alright. Well, let's find somewhere for you to change skirts. We should probably get going anyway."

As if cued by his voice, the static from the radio changed to an announcer's voice as a terse report in Chinese began.

_Kshh… Kshhhh… This is an emergency broadcast from Fengtian Radio. The Army has issued the following report: criminals suspected in the mass murder of army soldiers aboard the Changchun-Fengtian train today have disappeared into Fengtian. The ringleader is a thin Caucasian female. All suspicious persons are to be reported to HQ immediately._

I turned to Sasha, my face filled with shock. They were blaming us for Bacon's deeds! The wife cried out, "Those people on the radio—you're them, aren't you?"

"Let's go!" The fighter grabbed my hand and the armor he had bought, the weapon already on his hands. I ran too out the door, struggling to keep both the tome and my bible in my arms.

My mind was reeling; how could this be? I was being blamed for what Roger Bacon had done while trying to kidnap me. This wasn't fair!

The door slammed open, making the small puppy yip excitedly at us. We made it out to the middle of the street before there was an intense flash of light and a loud, booming sound, like an explosive. Both of us were knocked down to the ground by the force.

My vision was a blur of gray, but I could hear heavy boots clomping on the ground.

"Oh good, you're alive," a woman's voice remarked in French. This interested me enough to drag up my aching head. She was examining Sasha, her ponytail of blonde hair slipping off her shoulder.

"Hey lady, I can see your underwear," Sasha told her in English.

"Then why are you looking? Like what you see?" she said in a teasing voice, switching languages. She was practically flaunting her blue leather skirt. Noticing my observation, she asked, "Are you alright?"

I looked at myself, glanced at the two books, and nodded. Slowly I got to my feet, trying to shake away the ringing noise in my ears.

"Oh, don't worry about that, it'll go away soon," the French woman told me. Then she looked above and beyond me. "Oh damn, the cavalry's come."

I turned around and saw two Japanese soldiers. Seeing me, the one on the right turned pale. They began communicating quickly, clearly panicking, and then ran off. I felt aggravated. Their fear had been obvious; they really did believe I was a murderer.

"Ha! All these cowards can do is run away," the woman gloated. "So you guys are wanted too? I'd recommend the sewers, that's my escape route." She was walking towards an open manhole. The belt on her light blue jacket clinked against the first metal steps as she lowered herself down. "Well, see you around."

Then she had disappeared down the hole. Sasha only looked around once before sighing. "That's as good as well get. Come on, you first."

"Me?" I looked down into the dark sewers. Little light reached the water, but what I could see disgusted me. Still, it was better than being caught by soldiers. I quickly climbed down and then watched as Sasha lowered himself. Partway down, he began dragging the cover over the opening, gradually obscuring the sunlight. Concentrating my magic, I found that I could make some light to be able to see.

"Right, that'll buy us some time," he muttered. He rubbed his red eyes. Sasha was getting tired; I wondered if he had slept at all, or if he'd been watching over me, like he had in the plains last night. I looked at the fighter with some concern.

"Have you slept at all?" I asked.

"I had a rest before the job."

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "The job?"

"The kidnapping job?" he said slowly.

"Oh." It did lessen my concern somewhat when he reminded me he was my kidnapper. Still, that meant he'd had no rest in spite of all the monsters we had fought, and all the distance we had walked—and the distance he had been forced to carry me. "Do you need to rest?"

"Sure, you wait until we're on the run to ask if I need to rest."

"Well—I'm sorry for being worried!"

"You could be worried at a more practical time," he said, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

_Just ignore him,_ I told myself. _Don't get upset. Ignore him._ I walked in front of him with my ball of light, carrying myself with a straight back. We first headed straight from the ladder, then followed the wall. It took us left, then right, and I could see a dim blue glow.

A magic circle was inscribed on the floor. It was identical to the one we had seen in the plains. The circle came to life when we stepped on it, sending light blue waves over our feet. "Does this mean there're monsters here?" I asked uncertainly.

Sasha kicked it viciously. "Just our luck. The exit better be close." He scanned the area and then jabbed his finger. "More light."

There was a blue glow on the ceiling. Sasha must have been guessing sky, but I could feel a magical aura. "No, it's another circle…on the ceiling?" I approached it, lifting my hand for more light and a better view.

It was a manhole cover, but someone had placed a magic circle on it. Sasha climbed three rungs on the ladder, then placed his right hand on the circle and pushed. He did this for a moment, then took his left hand off the ladder and pushed more. I hovered behind him, watching closely.

He swore and then pressed his palm flat against the blue design of the circle. Black snakes wriggled out of his hand, onto the lines.

"Wait!" I grabbed the leg of his pants to make him stop. "What about the safeguards?"

He looked down at me curiously before his almond eyes widened. "God, I'm going to get myself killed for that one of these days." Sasha shook his head. "Do you sense anything?"

My 'Demon Eyes', as he called them, probably made him think I could detect different kinds of magic when they were mingling with each other. In fact, I found I could after a few minutes. "There's a summoning spell in it. Two…no, three…" I bit my lip. "I think three monsters."

"Eh, three too many for me," Sasha groused, hitting the circle to show his irritation. "Let's find a cover that hasn't been screwed with."

I agreed with the sentiment, though not the wording, and the path ended only a few feet around the next turn, so we retraced our steps. The fighter lagged behind me as we walked back to the entrance. When I glanced back, he was shaking his head, holding his forehead. He really was tired…but he didn't want my concern. Hopefully we'd find another safe place for rest soon.

Suddenly there was a yell and the sound of a body being dragged. I spun around and heard Sasha yell again, this time in pain instead of surprise. Panicking, I increased the light and saw a giant frog sliced open in the abdomen. Sasha extracted his leg from its mouth and kicked aside the large tongue that now hung out. His pant leg was covered in a mixture of saliva and blood and the new knuckle blades were coated with a mysterious, viscous substance.

"Well, that woke me up," he said, trying to give a confident smile. But when he rose to stand, he grit his teeth in pain and I realized just how much blood had stained the dark pants.

"Sit down!" I said, hurrying over to him. I rolled his pants up and felt the red skin, torn open in a curve. I took the Shooting Star Tome, knowing intuitively its magic was stronger than the bible's. His skin seemed to melt together as it healed. I tested the flesh, pressing with gentle fingers. I laughed suddenly. "You see? New book means better healing."

He laughed shortly, hushing when we began to hear his echoes. His face was still pale. As much as he tried to hide it, the attack had given him a bad scare. Sasha's guard had been completely down out of exhaustion. He was completely awake now, but as soon as he got over the ambush…Healing magic couldn't cure fatigue. I didn't think he would last much longer.

I brightened the light, hoping to scare off any other monsters. Upon reaching the entrance, we turned right. It was the only way left to us.

"That woman must have gone this way," Sasha said.

We walked forward together slowly. Sasha insisted I keep next to the wall. That way if there was another attack, he would probably be the target. I didn't think this was wise at all, but he was adamant. I wondered if he thought I was too weak to withstand an attack.

I paused when we reached a split: left or straight. Towards the left I could hear boots and recognized the woman's Water aura.

"That way?" I suggested to Sasha.

He shook his head. "I'd rather not get mixed up with terrorists."

I frowned as we walked on, past the turn and the one after that. "Why are you calling her a terrorist?"

Dark, tired eyes darted to me. "Alice—are you dense or just naïve?"

"I beg your pardon?" I said slowly, not knowing why he had insulted me.

"It's kind of obvious she set the bomb."

"You shouldn't assume."

"She was way too calm for a bomb just exploding."

"You were calm too," I said indignantly. "You were looking at her panties."

"Yes, but we're both criminals," Sasha said, dismissing my point. "Anyway, she even said the army was after her."

"And they're after me too, but I've done nothing wrong." I folded my arms and waited for Sasha to counter.

"You are naïve," he said emphatically.

Bristling, I kicked a pebble forward and heard a splash. Looking up, I realized we had come to another dead end. Water blocked our path from another walkway. Without a word, though Sasha shook his head in disgust, we turned back. This time we turned at the first chance, heading right.

The fighter was trailing behind me again. We would probably have to rest soon; hopefully outside the dank sewers, but there was always the warding circle. Still, he didn't seem quite ready to call it quits.

I was quite comfortable with his silence until I noticed a hole in the sewer wall. My light barely reached into it, but just enough for me to see two eyes watching me.

"Something the matter?" Sasha asked as I stood still.

The small silhouette barked, and I was pleasantly surprised by the emergence of the light-furred puppy from before. He stood on his hind legs, his small claws digging into my stockings. I didn't mind; he was too cute to get mad at.

"Crazy dog, must've followed you and now he's lost," Sasha muttered.

"Well, so are we," I said. The dog whimpered, dropping back down. His hind ankle was bent awkwardly. "Oh, you poor thing!" I picked the dog up and cradled him. "You fell, didn't you?"

"How else would he get down?" Sasha asked. I ignored him and held the tiny leg in one hand. With a Cure spell his ankle was as good as new and he was so happy he licked my face. I laughed and set him back down.

"You want to come with us, boy?"

"That mangy mutt is not—"

Sasha's argument was cut off by a sound I had heard only twice before: gunfire. Two shots were fired; then there was silence. I rushed in the sound's direction before Sasha could stop me, aware that someone was hurt.

It was the 'terrorist', lying helpless on the floor. No, not quite helpless; two large frogs were on their backs in the sewage. Both had bullet holes in their chest and were quite still.

"Hmph. Only two?" Sasha said. "That's pathetic."

"Excuse me, sonny?" The woman stood up slowly, shaking her head. "I'd like to see you do better. Oh—" She held her head. There was a trickle of blood in her blonde hair.

"Could I—see your head?" I asked hesitantly. Her deep blue eyes only showed puzzlement as I placed my right hand over the red color. Just beneath, there was open skin. Both of us winced when I touched it, but the wound was easy to heal. "Is that better?"

"Yeah." The blonde looked at me curiously—she almost seemed to be studying me. "How'd you do that?"

"Alice, we're going to have a serious talk about using your magic on complete strangers."

I turned to Sasha, folding my arms. "That would mean I shouldn't use magic on you."

The brunet smirked, ignoring my glare. "C'mon, I'm not a stranger. I'm your kidnapper."

"That's less reason for me to heal you," I said sternly.

"Wait, kidnapping on top of terrorism?"

"You're the terrorist," Sasha said, annoyed. "We're just a couple of helpless 'murderers'."

"Maybe you are, but I'm not," I said crossly.

"And I'm not a terrorist either," the blonde said, putting on a fake pout. "I'm a spy."

The fighter seemed tired of this whole conversation. "Alright, you're a spy. Good for you." He rubbed his nose before looking up at the woman. "Wait. Who are you a spy for?"

"Well I wouldn't be much of a spy if I told you that," she said, bemused. She leaned towards him, hands on her hips. "Now would I?"

"I'd hit you with Nightmare if I could cast it," Sasha muttered darkly.

"Ignore him, he's rude to everyone," I told her. "My name is Alice."

"We also have to talk about introducing ourselves to strangers."

"He's Sasha."

"Don't give my name too," Sasha protested.

The blonde spy shook her head. "He is rude, isn't he? My name's Margarete." Margarete then frowned, tilting her head as she examined Sasha. "You seem familiar…I've heard of a Sasha with a similar description…now what was he wanted for…"

I glanced at Sasha. He did not have the most innocent expression, but quite the opposite. There was a guilty smile he was trying to fight down. I waited to hear the worst, hoping it would not be true.

"Ah, that's it! Drug trafficking."

Immediately Sasha's expression changed, flickered. The guilt was thick in him. Margarete had remembered the correct Sasha.

"I can't believe you!" I exclaimed. Kidnapping, drug trafficking—what else had he done?

"It wasn't that much—"

"You're not exactly a small-time crook, either," Margarete informed him, almost laughing at his denial. "Seeing as your case reached the highest levels…"

Sasha saw that I was getting more upset by this. "I can explain," he said to me. I didn't let him get any further.

"Explain? It's obvious you're a vulgar, common criminal—you—ugh, there aren't even words! Come on, Tiny!" Picking up the newly named dog, I walked where the spy must have come from, the one turn we hadn't taken yet. My small shoes managed to make a racket as I stormed away.

"I don't want to interrupt this temper tantrum, but that's a dead end."

With just a bit more light, I could see that Margarete was right. It was a dead end. And here I'd been, storming away…I turned back, offering a sheepish smile but frowning when I saw Sasha's grin.

"But then, where's the exit?" I asked. "The only other manhole is blocked."

"Blocked, huh? Show me where it is," Margarete said. I nodded, although Sasha did not seem happy about the spy accompanying us. Still, he kept his mouth shut as we headed back towards the manhole.

"It's left from here," I mentioned at the place where we had entered. I looked up at the manhole cover curiously. No Japanese soldiers had come down yet, and at this point it seemed unlikely they would. But to be safe, we should leave as soon as possible.

I shifted the two books under my arm awkwardly. Along with my leather skirt and my jacket, it was hard to hold all the items at once. Margarete pointed her lantern at me and asked, "Isn't that hard to carry?"

"Yes," I admitted. "I was supposed to change into these," I said, holding up the brown skirt.

"Yeah, that'd be better than those ruffles." I shifted, setting all the ruffles in my blue skirt to movement. The leather probably would be better for battle. "Why don't you change now?"

"Now?" I asked incredulously.

"Why not?" She turned to Sasha and pointed with her pistol. "Go on, turn around. You peek, I shoot," she told him cheerfully.

Sasha sighed in aggravation but turned around with Margarete watching him. Though both their backs were turned to me, I was still nervous about changing, especially in here. Mentally I searched around, trying to sense any nearby monsters. There were none.

I bent over and fiddled with the leather belt, undoing the buckle. The belt fell on the floor with a clatter. Next was the skirt, awkward to slide off over stockings and shoes. For a few seconds I was wearing only the stockings, shoes, a white cotton blouse, and pink panties. If either of them had looked I would have died. The leather skirt was quickly thrown on and I put the belt on as well before working to straighten out the skirt. "Alright, I'm done."

Margarete and Sasha turned around simultaneously. The fighter raised an eyebrow while the spy said, "hm."

"Wh-what are you looking at?" I asked nervously.

"Just that leather doesn't go with those stockings."

I looked down at my brown leather skirt and white cotton stockings, which were almost touching each other, and compared that to Margarete's blue leather skirt with black fishnet stockings. Admittedly, her clothes suited each other much better than mine did. Mine looked ludicrous. I comforted myself that I was aiming for function, not fashion, and my stockings would keep me much warmer than hers would.

"Well, anyway, we better get going," Sasha said. With Margarete's help I managed to stuff my jacket and skirt in his pouch, leaving me with only the two books to carry.

As we proceeded to the other manhole, we were attacked twice: the first time by a trio of bats and two frogs and the second by some nasty spiders. Sasha went into the thick of the fights both times, while Margarete and I stood back. The constant gunfire made me flinch often, but I remained calm. Margarete was proving herself to be a skillful shooter, and I…was only healing occasionally. Healing was not needed often when one of the fighters could stay completely out of the monsters' range, and Sasha did not want me to get close enough to the monster's so I could attack, the reasoning being that they could then attack me too. Instead half of the time I was simply standing around, observing the fight and hoping for a chance to help. I felt superfluous; it was obvious Sasha and Margarete were fine on their own. I wished I could help them in a better way.

Margarete seemed impressed and fascinated with my healing skills, though. She told me that her 'intelligence' had told her about magic, but that it was a different thing to see it in action. I wondered what she would think of Sasha's fusion ability.

The spy herself was a marvel to see in combat. She would spin around and cartwheel as she fired, each of her bullets hitting its target. I wondered if she had ever been a dancer, so agile was she.

We rested for five brief minutes in the monster ward; it was long enough for Sasha to doze off against the wall with his arms and legs sprawled out in front of him and his talisman glowing with orange to match his bandanna. As the other woman tapped her foot impatiently, I shook him awake. His eyes took a few too many seconds to focus; he was near the end of his strength. Still he staggered up, with a kind of determination I had never before seen. He seemed past the point of caring about his physical limits.

Margarete climbed up the ladder, accidentally showing her pink polka-dotted panties. She tapped the center of the design, which had a circular groove. "I've heard about this, it's occult Feng Shui. If memory serves…"

"It'd better," Sasha called up.

"We have two choices kids. Either we find the seal that goes in here or we fight the guardian."

I frowned, remembering the three monsters I had sensed. They seemed stronger than the sewer monsters, so maybe it would be better to risk it down here. Still, the fighters' opinions were more important and I waited for their judgment. Margarete and Sasha had agreed to search for the seal just as the floor shook. Had we set off the summoning spell?

I looked around nervously as I heard rock falling, remembering Yamaraja. If there were three of his kind here we wouldn't have a chance. But the tremor stopped, and no monsters emerged. A shaky sigh of relief escaped me.

Sasha looked more alert now; he was scanning the area for any threat, relaxing when I shook my head. "No monsters? Than what the hell was that?"

"Well," Margarete said, "Let's go see."

It had been to my left, and so we headed back to the other side. Margarete's lantern seemed to be keeping most of the monsters at bay; when I saw a frog creeping up on us, I flashed a brilliant orb of light at him, one as large as my book. The frog was dazzled and temporarily blind. I ran to keep up with Margarete and Sasha, who hadn't seemed to notice. We still got into a fight when we encountered one frog eating another. It was on the legs, the limb, webbed feet sticking out of its oversized mouth. "That's disgusting," I said in disbelief.

"Tell me about it," the blonde muttered, taking out her gun. The frog gulped down the last bits and turned to us, its skin beginning to glow. Its whole body seemed to pulse and I realized it was getting bigger.

"It just ate its thousandth," Sasha said. His voice held an odd note of excitement. "Wait. Let it finish the transformation."

Margarete gave him an incredulous look, but though she kept her gun trained, she didn't fire.

It had eaten its thousandth? Its thousandth frog? The thought was sickening. How could it eat its own kind?

The transformation seemed to be complete. Some liquid dripped from its skin, making it gleam silver, and it was around twice the size of the normal large frogs, making it level with my waist. Its class had been changed, to my surprise—from Water to Light—and its magic seemed stronger.

"Wow," Sasha said appreciatively. His fists tightened around the knuckle blades as he grinned. "Alright, the frog can die now."

"Well, since you say so," Margarete said sarcastically. She fired once, directly into the head. The frog didn't even seemed fazed. Frowning, she continued shooting bullets as Sasha dashed in. His fists low, he brought them up to rake the frog's underside—but the frog evaded him. He was starting to slow in his attacks.

The changed frog countered his attempt by hitting him twice with its tongue. A minute later it succumbed to Margarete's bullets, allowing me to check Sasha. He had used his arms to shield himself, and the skin on his forearms looked like it had been rubbed open with sandpaper—the frogs' tongues were quite rough. By now I was becoming accustomed to the routine of healing.

"Hmm…now I see how curiosity killed the cat," Margarete said, eyeing Sasha. The Eurasian fighter shrugged.

"I'm not dead."

"Sure look it," she said lightly. "Why are you so tired anyway?"

"Because I'm her bodyguard," he answered, jabbing his thumb at me, "And she keeps getting in trouble."

"I do not. And you can call yourself whatever you like, but you're my kidnapper."

"Okay, I've got to ask," Margarete said, grinning. "Why do you heal him if he's your kidnapper?"

It was a good question. The only answer I had was to shrug. "Well, we'd be down a fighter if I didn't."

"Ah, screw him. We can take care of ourselves."

"I don't like the sound of this," Sasha interjected. He glared at the spy as she beamed back at him.

The rumbling sound had turned out to be a section of the sewer wall, which had collapsed into the water. Sasha was not pleased. He turned to the spy and said simply, "If that bomb makes these sewers collapse, I'm casting Nightmare before I die."

Margarete only looked puzzled. "Nightmare is a Dark-classed magic," I explained, "And you are not casting it on her." The last part was directed to—who else? —Sasha.

"Well, if this sewer collapses, we're all dying anyway," he said. "I might as well get a shot in."

I shook my head before sensing something. It felt like magic, but wasn't malicious. Scanning the darkened sewers unlit by Margarete's lantern, I found a blue glow beyond the debris, at the walkway that had been blocked by water before. "What's that?"

The blonde handed the lantern to me and then jumped from piece to piece of the fallen wall. She picked up a small ring and waved it at us. "I think it's the seal."

That had been easy. Sasha followed her, intrigued, and examined the piece. "I'll be damned," he muttered.

Margarete smirked. "See, it was a good thing I put extra powder in that bomb."

The fighter's eyes flickered to her. "You made the bomb?" When she nodded, he shook his head. "My God."

"I'll have you know I've made plenty of bombs," she retorted, folding her arms. As an afterthought she stuck her tongue out at him.

I laughed at their argument. Despite our disagreements, we seemed to do quite well at fighting together. But then, both Sasha and Margarete were professionals, however lax their attitudes. And being with them wasn't that bad. Margarete was nice, if a little cocky, and Sasha…Sasha was still a mystery. Judgment reserved for later, when I knew more.

"Well, we're done," I said, relieved. "Let's go back."

Sasha turned and nodded, the small, dark orange talisman swinging on its cord. We made our way back for the second time, nearly at the first entrance when it happened.

It began as a routine fight: there were three frogs, one the silvery color of a transformed cannibal. I wondered vaguely why the other two frogs were with it. Perhaps they stopped consuming frogs after they changed? Margarete shot twice and Sasha brought his weapons down on one of the regular mutants. The frog croaked, rolling over onto its back.

In the poor light, I thought I saw the frog's spirit rising from its body, headed for--Sasha? As the fighter pounced on another hapless frog, a fine gray mist seemed to spread from his body. I blinked my eyes furiously, wondering if something was wrong with them or if I was hallucinating. The fog thickened as it spread out to me. Little figures appeared in the mist as Margarete's gun continued to fire; there were wolves and spiders and demon cats along with others, many others. Their minute details faded as the mist touched me, seeping into my skin.

"Alice, I need a healing," Sasha called. The frog had struck him on the chest three times, leaving his vest ragged, shirt ripped, and skin bloodied. I couldn't answer; I couldn't move. My insides were cold as the mist crept up and wrapped against my hammering heart. "Alice?" The last frog was dead, its innards hanging from his bladed knuckles. His brown eyes were wide and confused as he watched me, his talisman red as it leaked out the souls of vengeful demons. Neither he nor the spy had any idea what was happening.

The horde of demons pressed in, in on my heart. I burst out in a scream so horrible it echoed throughout the sewers. I sunk down to the ground as the pain continued. It only increased as the souls' malice did.

"Alice!" Sasha seemed to forget about his chest as he knelt by me. He grabbed my shoulder. "Here." Without a question, he gave me a Thera leaf, pressing it to my lips. Even after swallowing it, the agony went on. The tears were streaming down my cheeks as I rocked back and forth against him, both of my hands clutching the blouse's fabric. I tried to heal myself, but my magic seemed to be draining away, into the souls.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Margarete asked. "She wasn't attacked."

"I don't know," Sasha said. "Alice? What's wrong?"

His confused eyes were pleading for an answer, but I couldn't give one. How should I know what was happening? It was his talisman. Sasha caught my gaze and looked down at it.

"Red...what does that mean?" he wondered. I laughed in a choked sob; he didn't even know what was wrong. They were going to crush my heart and I would die and he didn't even know why. "...My God," he breathed suddenly, realizing. His voice was so filled with fear and hatred and guilt I became nauseous, overwhelmed with his emotions and my pain.

I cried out as the souls and mist poured out of me--and with them, my magic. I was weak in both body and spirit, but I followed the mist with my Demon Eyes and watched as it condensed into a vaguely human shape.

The fighter holding my shoulders saw my gaze and followed it as the 'body' darkened to a green color and shaped itself into a coat. I felt myself thrust into Margarete. "Get her out of here. Now!" he said when Margarete began to protest, "There's no time."

"But he's from the army," she argued all the same. She pointed her gun as a mask began to take shape and shot. The bullet struck the wall behind the animal mask, which grinned in a humorless fashion.

"Don't be an idiot!" Sasha yelled. "Take the seal and get out!" As the man with the fox mask turned to him, he planted his heavy boot in the man's stomach. This actually seemed to harm the phantom, unlike Margarete's ineffectual bullets. The spy took my right arm and slung it over her neck.

"Come on girl, walk," she told me. We adopted an awkward, fast-without-running gait as I forced my knees to support myself. The spy knew we were both limited in this position and in her free hand, carried a grenade. Luckily, that lasted us until the ward, thrown when an obtrusive frog got in our way.

I shakily collapsed into the magic circle. It kept away monsters, so I trusted it would keep away that demonic being. The sounds of fighting echoed in the sewer system.

Margarete glanced back towards the sounds' sources. "He's probably right. We should get out."

"I can't stand," I said feebly. I had a raging headache, and my legs were shaking from the last walk. "What happened?"

"You're asking me?" the spy said. "How should I know? That guy just showed up from nowhere. Why didn't my gun work?" With an exasperated air she examined the pistol and checked the bullets inside. "Was he human?"

"I don't know. He wasn't a ghost." My voice trembled as I spoke. I rested my head on my knees and tried to breathe steadily. That man—that being—had something to do with Sasha. How else could he have harmed him when Margarete's gun had done nothing? His talisman contained the souls of demons we had fought and they had attacked me, stealing my power to make that masked being. What was going on? Sasha was dangerous to be around, but why? What was he?

"Can you stand now?"

I tried to and Margarete assisted me. I was standing when a new sound reached my ears, a tiger's roar. Sasha had fused. Was the fight going badly for him? I pulled away from Margarete and staggered along the sewer wall. Sasha might need someone's help. Though, I wasn't sure what kind of help I could give.

"Alice, he said to get out!"

"I have to check on him," I called back.

"Goddamn—wait a minute, you can't go without backup!" I heard the spy's heavy combat boots stomping after me. Her concern almost made me smile before I rounded the corner and saw the battle.

Sasha as the tiger was crouching in the corner under the manhole. The green fur of the tiger was matted down with his blood. He was trying to heal himself, but the little Earth magic he was able to conjure was ineffectual.

In front of him was a great demon with a skull as its head. It unfolded its bat-like wings and flew at him, its claws already dripping with Sasha's blood. The tiger made an attempt to evade that was slow and pathetic. The claws tore into his chest and he yowled in pain.

"Margarete, the demon!"

"What about it?" she snapped, looking around wildly. "Where's Sasha?"

"He's the tiger!" I yelled. Margarete stared at me as if I was crazy. "That's his magic. I'll explain later. Just shoot the demon!" I made my way to Sasha, knowing I couldn't heal him at this range. I guided myself along the wall, walking faster as my legs became steadier.

The blonde spy pulled out her gun and aimed at the dark gray monster. It was hard with both creatures moving around, the tiger countering the demon. The Dark-classed demon hardly seemed affected. Sasha's fatigue was catching up to him at the worst possible time. Margarete fired four times, one after another, but all of them passed through the demon, hitting the wall behind the two beasts. Was this demon the same as the being with the fox mask?

The demon threw the tiger into the sewer water. Sasha struggled to the surface and pulled himself up with long thin arms. He was coughing so hard he began hacking up blood from his injuries. I quickened to a run as the demon swooped down on him and attacked brutally. He rammed Sasha's head into the cement; the tiger's body slipped back into the water before the devil cast his arm in and fished out Sasha, back in his human form and unconscious. Blood covered the fighter's clothes and trickled from his mouth.

Sasha revived for a moment, raising his head. Our eyes met and I felt a rush of anger directed at me. He thought I was an idiot for coming back.

The demon tossed him. He hit the wall and fell down, returning to unconsciousness. He was only a few feet away. I felt the edges of my Shooting Star Tome. Hissing, the gray, winged creature raised his claws. My tome took the blow as I stepped between Sasha and the demon.

It hissed again, menacingly. I backed up until my feet hit Sasha but stood my ground between the demon and his intended victim. Sasha was weak from the times he had stayed awake, protecting me. I had to return the favor now and protect him too. Whether or not he'd be grateful didn't matter.

Still making the same angry sound, the skull stared at me with hollow eyes as it stepped back. Contrary to its Darkness class, a bright light enveloped him and a second aura emerged. It was Dark class as well, but stronger and more shadowy. Now two slits in a fox mask glared at me.

So the masked man was the same as Sasha. They both had the same powers, to turn into monsters.

The fox mask began talking, unfortunately in Japanese. Only from his tone could I understand he wanted me to move. Move so he could kill Sasha. I shook my head.

"I can't let you. He's protecting me."

The man must have understood, because he burst out laughing. He obviously thought the idea of Sasha protecting me was ridiculous. How did I even know he would?

"He promised he would. That's good enough for me."

A torrent of speech followed my statement. I couldn't make heads or tails of anything he said, except for his derisive tone as he looked down at Sasha. The masked man thought he was weak, too weak to protect me.

"He's not weak!" I yelled back at him. "He's not weak, he's just tired. And the only reason he's tired is because he's done such a good job of protecting me. He didn't get any sleep because he's been watching over me, and he's already fought dozens of monsters. So you—you leave Sasha alone!"

For a few minutes the mask simply stared at me. I met his gaze, gripping my book tightly in case he decided to attack.

He pointed at Sasha and spoke to me in Japanese, enunciating every word clearly. It sounded like a threat.

"Go away," I responded, knowing I couldn't make him. If he did attack I would certainly die. My magic was returning, but only slowly. The only hope I had was that he didn't seem to want to hurt me.

And the masked man did that. He turned away and faded, mist emerging from his body. The monsters' souls returned to Sasha's talisman. I sighed and sank down to the ground, looking at Sasha. "Well," I said quietly, "I think that makes us even."

"You have a death wish or something?" Margarete called as she walked over to me. She held the lantern high to scan for monsters as she continued. "Going up against something bullets can't touch?"

I shook my head. How to explain it? "It was the right thing to do."

"Mm, sure, morality-wise. Going by intelligence it was more on the stupid side," she told me lightly.

"I had faith."

"Faith." Margarete shrugged, reluctant to get into that conversation. "Well, it worked. Are you going to wake him up?" she asked, swinging the lantern towards Sasha. "He's raising one hell of a stink."

It was true, though anyone would after being dunked in sewer water. I cast two cure spells on him before I felt completely powerless and settled for shaking him. "Sasha? Sasha, wake up." I looked up at Margarete. "I think he's sleeping. He's been really exhausted."

"I know, but he's got to wake up. This isn't a safe place to sleep, once the Army wises up…hold this." She gave me the lantern and knelt in front of Sasha. "Hey! Up and at 'em!" she yelled. "Kiddo! Come on!"

"Leave me 'lone Olga," Sasha complained, shaking his head.

"Olga?" Margarete mused for a minute, then shrugged, and slapped Sasha soundly.

"Margarete!" I exclaimed, shocked. Sasha was coughing up water—apparently he'd swallowed some while in the sewage. My nose wrinkled, but I tried to maintain an indignant expression.

"What? He's a fighter, he can take a little smack."

"He's been smacked around enough!"

"Can I—please—kill her?" Sasha asked between coughs. "Give me a Mana leaf. I'll Nightmare her."

I looked around and found his satchel. Unsure which was which, I tried picking a Thera leaf for him. He took the leaf and his lips puckered at the taste. "Did I give you a Pure?" I asked.

"Yeah, a potent one." He swallowed. "Well, that feels a bit better. Now let me see before you waste another."

I yanked the cord to close the satchel and tossed it to him. "Here." It was time to get out of these sewers. "Could I have a mana leaf, please?" I asked. Although the pain had left, my magic was still low. He handed me the leaf and I chewed on it carefully.

"Alright, you guys ready?" Margarete asked. "I want to get out of this dump. I'm already late for my contact."

"I have to clear out my malice," Sasha said. He was gripping his talisman, still a bright red, tightly. "If I don't, he might come back."

"Who was he?" I asked.

"I don't know." Sasha had a straight face as he met my eyes, but I could sense his reluctance. He was lying.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

My hands curled into fists before I simply walked away. As I got to the fringes of the lantern's light I conjured my own. It was so bright I blinded myself despite anticipating the increase. Undoubtedly I had blinded both Sasha and Margarete.

"Five minutes and you've already made her mad," Margarete noted.

Sasha did not answer her, but I could hear his footsteps behind me. His shoes squelched with each step. "Why are you mad, Alice?"

"I'm not mad." It was nothing to be mad about, after all. Simply because he had kidnapped me and was keeping a secret that had almost killed me just now and might later. No, nothing wrong with that.

"I know you're lying."

"That's nice." I splashed through the small puddles on the sewer's floor. "I know you're lying too. What did you say I have? Demon Eyes? Did it ever occur to you that lying to me is useless? Just say you don't want to tell me, because God forbid we be on an even footing," I spat out, turning to him. Behind him Margarete was listening intently, curious. "Don't say you don't know, say you won't tell me. I may be naïve, Sasha, but I am not an idiot."

"Okay, fair enough," Sasha conceded.

"Like you even care about fair."

Margarete's chuckles echoed through the damp air. "Yep, you've definitely ticked her off."

The man sighed as we proceeded back to the monster ward. "I won't lie to you anymore, Alice." I considered this for a moment. Coming from my captor, he had promised to not lie and to protect me. That was probably as good as I was going to get.

"Alright then."

When we reached the blue circle Sasha laid down in it. "Stay in the circle," he told me. "I know it wards off monsters further away, but the malice—"

"I'll stay," I said. I had no intentions of being used to create some—some demon again. The pain and fear had been enough for once.

"What are you doing, anyway?" Margarete asked the fighter.

"I'm going to go to the Graveyard. It's…never mind, you wouldn't understand it if I explained. But I have to be asleep to go there. It's a place in my soul."

"Oh." Margarete looked thoroughly confused. She glanced at me but I knew nothing. I had never heard of something like that.

As Sasha fell asleep I examined the Shooting Star Tome. The demon's claws had ripped the illustration on the cover, though the cover itself was still fine. The magic within the book still seemed intact. I opened it, only glancing through the pages for some of the depictions of the continent.

After a few moments, I looked at Sasha as he lay sleeping in the circle, watching the gentle waves of magic mix with his aura and turn to a darker blue.

"Do you think he's alright?" I asked Margarete, watching him. After the run-in with that masked man, I wasn't really sure. The spy shrugged, tossing her mane of gold hair.

"Do you think he's even doing anything? 'Malice' or whatever he was going on about...just sounded like some dumb excuse to take a nap." I knew it was important, but I wasn't sure how to tell Margarete. I had been the only one to see the monsters' souls. "Hmph. You guys are slowing me down. Forget this, I'm getting out. I'll leave the seal in for you two."

"Oh--wait!" I burst out as she walked away. My voice was so loud it echoed throughout the dank sewers. It felt nice to have another girl around, even if she was a bit pushy. It wasn't likely I'd meet anyone else from Europe anytime soon. Besides, there was safety in numbers, wasn't there? I didn't really want to be alone with Sasha. "I'll--Didn't you want to know how I did my magic?"

She stopped. Slowly, she turned around. Her face was blank, but as a Demon Eyes I could sense her rising curiosity. "You going to show me?"

"I could teach you a spell," I offered. Anything to slow her down for a few minutes, make her stay until we were out of these sewers at least. She didn't seem too talented, but she could probably manage to imbue objects with her own aura. "You know how you're a Water class?"

"Yeah, you told me that." Her tone was still bland, but I knew she wanted to know where this was leading.

"I'll teach you how to make other things Water class too. I can make things Light class; it has to do with what element you're aligned with." The older woman was sitting back down as I explained, letting her mask of disinterest slip bit by bit. "Hold out your hands."

She held them out, and I demonstrated the ability, explaining as I did. Her hands were soon glowing with white sparkles of light.

"Now you try," I said, holding my own hands out.

It took her a few tries; between each time I would glance at Sasha anxiously, wondering when he would wake up. He had started turning a bit in his sleep. His body was on the edge of the magic circle now.

"Easy," Margarete crowed. I turned to look at my own hands and saw blue sparks. There was a curious feeling in my hands, as though all the blood in them had been thinned with water. They both felt light, fluid.

"Yes, that's it," I said. "You want to practice a bit?"

"You think I need practice?" She certainly could be boastful, but her confidence was somewhat uplifting. As if since she thought there was nothing to worry about, everything really was fine. "But if you want to practice...let's use Sasha."

I looked at the sleeping man and laughed. It would be funny to see his reaction when he woke up, covered in blue and white sparks of light. "He's a Dark class, so you'll have it easier," I said, explaining, "His aura will resist mine more. But I bet my spell will be more effective than yours."

She took the statement as a challenge. "Oh really?" Margarete said, raising an eyebrow. "Let's see who can cover his whole body in her element first."

It sounded like an amusing idea, competing to mask Sasha's aura. We were both bored, looking for something that would seem the least bit interesting. I also wanted something to distract me from the worrisome problem of why Sasha had this malice in the first place, and a competition would delay her long enough to get Sasha awake. I nodded and then we got started.

"Ready...set...go!" Margarete said, instantly diving in to start the spell. I followed, covering his head in white sparks. On the other side of Sasha, Margarete was placing blue sparkles around his feet.

I was quickly covering more space than the spy, reaching Sasha's hands fairly quickly. Margarete was doing the legs more haphazardly, with wide gaps in between areas of sparks. We'd learned the spell in the same day, but I had much more practice with my magic.

"This isn't even a challenge," I teased her.

She was frowning as she surveyed Sasha's body—and then she suddenly smirked. She reached down to the crotch of Sasha's pants. Blue sparks appeared and I looked at them, then gaped open-mouthed at her.

"You did not do that."

She was grinning triumphantly. "Oh yes I did," she said. "Go on, cover them up—you have to if you want to win."

"That is vulgar," I said, both disgusted and awed.

"You forfeit then. Miss Spy Genius wins!"

Sasha groaned then, making us both stop and look at him guiltily. He sat up slowly and glanced down at his body, marked with blue and white sparks. "Okay," he said slowly. "First rule, ladies: never mess with my class while I'm in a malice fight." It was then that he noticed the phenomena occurring in his pants, and he frowned. "That isn't going to give me blue balls, is it?"

Margarete burst into laughter as I turned a bright red, not quite sure what he meant but guessing close enough to be embarrassed. I tried to ignore the crude humor and focused on the matter at hand.

"Is your malice gone?" I asked Sasha. He nodded.

"All I had to do is fight another monster. See? Back to blue," he said, holding his talisman for inspection. "We're safe."

"That's good."

The Eurasian fighter watched me closely, his bangs partially obscuring almond eyes. "Did you guys fight him off earlier?" Some of the sparks around him were beginning to fade.

"No, Alice defended you," Margarete told him. "You should have seen her. That other guy kept telling her to move but she kept blocking him. Of course, it wasn't smart, but that's what she did." Her sea blue eyes were laughing at me as I shook my head.

"I did what I thought any good Christian would do."

"Help their kidnapper by putting their life in danger?"

I folded my arms crossly and turned away from both of them. "Maybe it was idiotic."

"That man was a ghost," Sasha said suddenly. It startled me and I looked back to see him staring at the ground. Was he telling me now as thanks?

"But Alice said it wasn't a ghost."

Sasha's head shot up, his brown eyes widening. "Not…? What made you think that?"

"He—he didn't feel like a ghost." I looked away from them, embarrassed, to the water trickling down the stones. "Something about him didn't seem human. There weren't enough emotions. Most people when they die have so many emotions—they're just obscured by the strongest ones. But he only despised you. I couldn't sense anything else. And he was too abstract."

"Abstract?"

"Um, how do I explain…" I closed my eyes, searching for the right words in my mind. Water gurgled as it traveled slowly, sometimes unevenly through the pipes. "He didn't seem real. It felt like the monsters were manifesting an idea, not…oh, that's stupid, isn't it," I said suddenly. Both Sasha and Margarete had puzzled expressions. They didn't understand what I meant. I wasn't even sure what I meant. Maybe I had perceived him as unreal because I didn't want to accept that he could be real. Like how Zhaoyang village had seemed a nightmare. I just didn't want to face facts. "Forget it. You're probably right, Sasha."

He raked his hair. "Well, it's not like I want to be," he said. His nose suddenly wrinkled. Holding his arm up to his face, the fighter sniffed and grimaced. "When is this smell going to go away?"

"Hopefully soon," Margarete joked, hitting his arm lightly, "Because you don't smell like roses. We need some open air." She held up the ring for the seal, still glowing blue in her hands. "Let's go."

The manhole was only a short distance away, so it was easy to reach. Sasha took the ring from Margarete and ascended the ladder. "Alright, let's get out of here." The light blue ring was carefully inserted into the design.

Another rumbling began. I hoped it was the seal coming undone, but I could sense three auras rising within it. "Sasha, get down!" I yelled at the moment a red creature emerged from the seal. It bore down on the fighter, knocking him off the ladder and down to the ground before Margarete shot the human-like creature off him.

"Are you alright?" I asked, helping the dazed fighter up.

"Yeah, yeah. I hate kappas," the fighter complained as he checked his bladed knuckles. Two more were emerging from the seal, these green. The three kappas arranged themselves in a line, one green on each side of the red and slightly behind.

Despite their varying colors, the kappas' physiques were similar; they looked human except for their webbed feet and hands and claws. There were various markings on their skins. Strangely, they all had bowls on their heads and were looking around in confusion. Sometimes they were so confused they held their heads in pain. They were more comical, if not pitiful, than fearsome.

Sasha shook his head. "The kappa. Platypus of the monsters. You just have to wonder why."

"Later," Margarete said tersely. She continued firing into the red kappa until she ran out of bullets. The kappa appeared to be weak for a moment, but then the green one on the right threw up his hands, as if beseeching some divinity. Incredibly, a rain cloud formed, right there in the sewers, over the kappas, and a gentle rain came down. The Fire-classed kappa was healed. Margarete swore as she finished reloading. "So we have to kill the green ones first."

The other green and red, perhaps angry, came after her. Sasha drew off the green one by slashing into its sides, leaving Margarete to deal with the red. It attacked using its large, webbed feet to kick the blonde. She ended the assault with a bullet to the head, which only cracked the bowl but made the kappa moan loudly in pain. It drew back to be healed by the same Water-class as before. In the meantime, I cured Margarete and she watched as the kappas regrouped.

"Right, let's do this the easy way," Margarete said. She drew out from her light blue jacket a grenade and motioned Sasha back. Then she simply pulled the pin and tossed the grenade at the monsters. The red one stared at it, puzzled, until it exploded. The Water class Sasha had attacked died, and the other two were weaker with the shrapnel in their bodies. Sasha immediately went after the green one before it could heal. With both greens gone, the battle was reduced to two rounds of punches, shots, and spells.

"I thought it was supposed to be the seal **or** the guardian," Sasha said, glaring at Margarete.

"Hey, don't blame me! Blame whoever was cowardly enough to double-lock a seal. Anyway, we still won."

I bit my lip, hesitant to agree. "There's still an evil aura here…it feels like someone's watching u—aah!" I screamed when a loud bark startled me. "Tiny!"

The small puppy barked again, apparently happy to see me. "Oh, where have you been?" I asked. He gladly jumped into my open arms and whined until I petted him. "Did that big scary ghost frighten you? It's okay…"

Sasha and Margarete were talking behind me. I could hear Sasha's exasperation as he described Tiny as 'some strange mutt with fleas'. I thought the same could probably apply to him.

"Alice. Alice!"

"What?" I asked, turning to Sasha. He sighed.

"What about the aura?"

"What aura?"

He stared at me with his almond eyes before declaring, "You're hopeless." Before I could counter this rude remark, he had gone up the ladder again and was pushing the cover open. Margarete and I were standing beneath him, waiting for news, when he ducked back down and muttered, "We're dead. So dead."

Margarete leaned back, placing her hand on her hip. "What is it?"

"It leads out to a Japanese base!"

"So?"

"You mean you knew?" Sasha demanded.

"Yeah. Where else around here are you going to find an airplane?"

"Are you insane?!" He caught my look and sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, it's suicidal, but I guess we don't have a choice."

"That's the spirit," Margarete said brightly. "Just shut up, follow me, and you guys will be safe."

But it didn't work out that way. I was the last one to come out. Having only one free arm made climbing a bit difficult. As I emerged, Tiny leapt from my arms and ran towards the hangar. "Tiny," I said, dismayed.

"Ah, don't worry about him, Alice," Sasha told me. "The mutt's just glad to be outside."

Tiny sat down and began barking loudly. "Tiny, shh." But it was too late. I could sense two auras coming near, drawn by the sound. "Someone heard him."

"Damn dog," Sasha muttered. Tiny ran off but before we could move, two soldiers emerged from the hangar. Seeing us, one of them exclaimed something that was probably a swear and cocked his rifle. The second lifted his weapon as well. Before I could react, there were two simultaneous shots as Margarete shot one of the soldiers in the brain. I gasped at the burst of blood from his head. The bullet embedded itself and bodily fluids in the faded green paint of the building. Another shot split the air before Sasha disarmed the second soldier and knocked him out with a swift blow. The spy winced, grabbing her right arm. The second shot had been at her, and the bullet had passed through her arm. Margarete smiled gratefully as I concentrated my energy to heal. But she paled as I heard two more rifles being readied. "Sasha!" she called.

I whirled around and saw another pair of soldiers. One had his rifle aimed at me. Sasha was occupied with disarming the other soldier. The soldier's finger tensed on the trigger. There was no time to think, only react. I took the orb of magical energy and threw it at him. He cried out as the Light magic hit him, his grip on the trigger loosening, and dropped down.

"Nasty," Sasha said, looking at the fallen soldier. "Remind me not to piss you off again."

I stared at my hands. Had I just cast Blessed Light? I'd never been able to before…I shook my head and then noticed Tiny sitting only a few feet away, his tail wagging. No more soldiers were coming, so this would be the best time to go get him.

Walking towards the puppy, I held out my hands. "Here boy, here—" my words were cut off by an explosion behind. I turned around and saw the plane in the hangar had caught on fire, Sasha and Margarete just as surprised as me. That would attract even more soldiers. We had to leave now.

I turned back to the dog and screamed. His aura had completely changed into a malevolent one of Fire. Did the explosion have something to do with him? A human voice came from the dog when it saw my confusion.

"Hee hee hee…what's wrong, girl? I'm just your cute dog, Tiny!"

"That's not cute," I whispered.

"Get the hell away from her, Dehuai!" Sasha spat out. "God, a dog? How low can you go?"

The Fire aura flared around the dog. "And you, traitor! I knew it was a mistake to send you. If that meddling warlock hadn't insisted—"

"Oh, someone sounds sore," the brunet cut in. "Bacon knew nothing about my plans. Don't blame him."

_Is he…defending Roger Bacon?_ I wondered.

The dog snarled. "Fine then. I'll simply rend your body to pieces and end your pathetic life!"

"Can you just feel the testosterone building up?" Margarete asked rhetorically.

"The key is mine!" Dehuai shouted. The puppy's body began to change. It grew larger in all ways, legs and body and teeth. It snarled at us with saliva dripping from its mouth as a color like magma snaked across its white fur. Two horns sprouted from its forehead and two tails formed from the one. I frowned, thinking this demon might just ruin my love of dogs.

"Well, since you'd kill me either way…time to show you a secret I've been keeping." Sasha held out his arms and concentrated. With a sudden yell, his whole body shone with a great light, as the masked man before had. When the light disappeared, there stood the tiger he had turned into in both Zhaoyang village and the sewers. Dehuai was surprised to see the change, but hesitated only for a second before lunging at Sasha with more ferocity than he had shown before. The tiger went down under the beast's brunt, but managed to slice quickly at the exposed underbelly. Margarete shot at the huge dog and I cast Blessed Light again, determined to defeat this new evil.

Dehuai retreated, a bit weakened and more cautious. Sasha also showed some wisdom by placing a spell of protection on himself with the tiger's Earth magic. A wall of rock rose around him and then fell away, strengthening him.

"Margarete, that spell I showed you," I called to the spy. "Cast it on Sasha's fists." After all, the dog was a Fire class. Water class attacks would be more effective then. As the blue sparks appeared around Sasha's claws, I began casting Cure on him.

Dehuai had recovered now and was concentrating; wisps of fire curled about in the dog's mouth before he breathed out waves of flame. I cried out as the magic flames licked around my skin, burning it. I shielded myself with my left arm and paid for it with horrible burn marks up and down. The smell of flesh burning almost made me ill. I focused on healing my wounds and then Margarete's as Sasha used the tiger's powers to cure himself. Margarete spent the time shooting the dog, although the beast seemed to hardly mind each individual bullet. What if this monster was too strong for us? No, I shouldn't think like that.

Sasha proved the effectiveness of Margarete's spell when he gouged the dog's eye. It howled in pain, the sound horrible to my ears. Blindly the dog leapt out and managed to grab the tiger's arm in its mouth, worrying the limb like a bone. The tiger's shrieks of pain grated against my ears. Sasha finally escaped the grasp, but he lost quite a bit of skin. Margarete tossed a grenade at the monstrous dog. It landed under the creature's belly and exploded, shrapnel cutting into its flesh. Margarete smirked as she aimed her pistol. In the meantime I healed Sasha, seeing the green fur stretch over the sinewy muscles again.

The tiger roared so loudly I thought more soldiers would come. If they did, would they help us or fight against us? The tiger's Earth magic formed small pieces of rock, which flung themselves at the monster. The dog flinched, wavering on its feet.

"Alright, let's finish it off," Margarete said. She fired repeatedly into the beast, Sasha ripping into the already existing wounds. The dog cried out in pain and I remembered the little puppy with his tail wagging in happiness. Still, this wasn't a puppy anymore. It was a demon. Wasn't it? I felt sorry for Tiny.

"**Blessed Light**!" I yelled, gripping my tome tightly. The stream of white lights flooded into the dog.

It still wasn't dead. When would this be over? When we were dead? Except he wouldn't kill me, he would use me for something—something horrible. Why wouldn't he die? I gripped my forehead, feeling a headache start. Sasha and the dog were a tangle of bluish-white and green limbs, blurring as the pounding increased. I knelt down, trying to pull myself together.

"Hey," Margarete called, "What's wrong?" Her voice was too loud for my head. It hurt so much. She needed to shut up. Please. I closed my eyes, trying to shut everything out.

Long, slender fingers that ended in sharp nails grasped my face. I opened my eyes to see that the nails were claws, and that the green tiger was silently proffering a leaf. I ate the bitter medicine and felt the headache fade away, my confusion and panic dulled…that was until the dog attacked, gripping Sasha in the back with his large jaws. The tiger howled in pain and then fell forward when he was released. I shot to my feet to catch him. He was surprisingly heavy for his appearance, but I managed to keep both of us upright as I healed his back.

Margarete shot at the beast, forcing him away from us. As soon as the healing was done, Sasha tore after the beast and I cast Blessed Light one last time. The spy ended the fight with another grenade at its underbelly. The monster collapsed, its limbs splayed out, and faded away, leaving a tiny body behind.

Sasha emerged from the fusion and looked at the dead puppy. "Poor mutt."

"I'll go find us an airplane," Margarete said before running off. I hardly noticed her absence as I silently prayed over the dog. When I opened my eyes even that was gone.

"Hey, you alright?" Sasha asked. He yawned, apparently still tired, and sat down on the grass.

I nodded. "I was only hit once," I pointed out.

He shook his head. "Not physically. I've never seen someone break down that fast in a fight."

The comment made me embarrassed. Did he mean there was something wrong with me? I thought the average person would have been terrified of the dog. Hadn't I done well? "Was it really that bad?"

The fighter shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. It might just be because you haven't fought that much. Here." He took his satchel and tossed it to me. "You'll need the Pure leaves more than me, so you can hold onto them." 

"You trust me?" I asked, astonished.

Sasha raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason I shouldn't? Besides, this'll free me up to do more attacking while you do more healing. I got the impression you liked healing better."

"I do, but…I'm surprised you trust me with the money," I said. My face brightened as I realized something. "Does this mean I get to shop for equipment now?"

Sasha looked surprised for a moment. I don't think he had remembered that in the bag with the leaves, jacket, and skirt, was a large amount of Chinese money. He took one look at the shooting star on my new book and his face darkened.

"Give me the money, Alice."

I pouted. "But you said you trusted me."

"No, I asked you if there was a reason I shouldn't, and I've just remembered there is. Now give me back the money."

"I promise I'll get good weapons."

Sasha seemed ready to yell at me; it was rather funny seeing him so irritated. "You'll buy books. I know you will. Now give me back my goddamn money before I--"

"Hey kiddos, look what I found!"

We both turned around and Sasha stood as a small, gray plane rolled across the grass to us. The paint was fading and there were a lot of spots covered in rust. Margarete waved to us from the pilot's seat.

"What do you think? It seemed abandoned, but it started with a swift kick!"

"Oh yeah, that's a hand-me-down," Sasha said, his eyes lingering on the wings' rust.

"You want us to ride this thing?" I asked in disbelief.

The madwoman was smiling. "Bingo! Stop your chatting, kids, and hop on in!"

It was either stay at the base and be captured or risk our lives on a rundown airplane. Surprisingly enough, both Sasha and I climbed in. He sat down in the passenger's seat, and I stumbled in after him, tripping and landing on his lap.

"S-sorry Sasha."

"Eh, don't worry, you're light. Now…" He plucked the satchel from my hands and quickly fished his money out, stuffing it into one of the vest's pockets. "Okay, now I trust you with the items," he said, dropping it back into my hands.

"Time for takeoff!" Margarete announced. I was trying to sit ramrod straight on Sasha's knees, but that was hard to do with the plane rattling. I fell back against Sasha's chest, my braid quickly becoming undone. The bandanna in my hair fell out onto his lap.

"It's r-really shaking!" I exclaimed.

"You're going to crash it," Sasha predicted ominously.

"For God's sake, Sasha, you're a BOY!" Margarete said, annoyed. "Show a little more gumption!"

"I didn't know gumption was the same thing as death wish!" Sasha snapped.

I was pressed back into his body by gravity as the plane tilted back. We were going into the air. My heart was pounding as the wind whipped past. My whole body was tensed as I prepared for the engine to fail or a wing to snap off. After five minutes, I heard a light snore and stared at Sasha. He was sleeping, and at a time like this!

I sighed, trying to calm down. If Sasha was asleep he must think it was safe. Either that or he was too fatigued to stay awake another minute. The latter was more probable.

To distract myself I began picking apart my ruined braid, my hair falling down to my waist. I twisted around in my seat to retrieve my blue bandanna without waking Sasha up and tied it around my thick bundle of hair.

Margarete laughed beside me. "Don't fuss, Alice. I've flown plenty of planes. Granted, not as old as this one…but I think we'll be fine."

"I—I trust you."

This elicited another chuckle from the spy. "You're the worst liar I've ever heard Alice. But I like that about you, means I don't have to worry. Now, him," she said, jerking her head at Sasha, "I have to keep an eye on."

"Yeah," I agreed, eyeing the plane's instruments.

"You know, for him being your kidnapper you seem awfully friendly to him," the spy said slowly. I knew what she was getting at. She seemed trustworthy enough.

"Well…it's hard to explain. I was being kidnapped by another man, and Sasha was helping him. I was unconscious, and when I woke up, the other man was gone."

"So you don't know what happened?"

I shook my head. "No. But I'm sure he's still after me. I'm not quite sure why Sasha insists I stay with him." There was the witch, who seemed to want us together, but that couldn't be it. Sasha loathed her, why would he listen to her? But they had been kidnapping me for Dehuai, and he seemed angry with the warlock…did he take me for a revenge of some sort? What did he have against Dehuai? "But he's promised to protect me, and he has."

"So basically, he's your best bet. That still doesn't explain you two being friendly."

I shrugged.  The shoulders of my cotton blouse rippled in the wind.  "He seems alright at times."

"I wouldn't trust him," Margarete declared. "Especially with what that masquerader said."

"From the sewers?" She nodded. "You know Japanese? What was he saying?"

"You didn't know? Sure sounded like you did. He started off telling you to get out of his way. Then you said you couldn't let him kill him because he was protecting you. Then he said something like 'how do you know that coward will protect you?'" As she spoke she imitated the man's deep, authoritative voice. "Then you said he'd promised. How could you answer if you didn't know what he was saying?"

"I mostly guessed."

Her cynical blue eyes glanced over my face before she responded. "Hm. Well, you pissed him off and he started saying Sasha was a weak bastard who could never keep a promise. That was the nice part, it got really slanderous. He mentioned another girl he promised to protect. Some Anne. Sounds like she's dead now."

"Dead…?"

"Yeah, doesn't sound too promising, does it?" She looked over and saw my ashen face. "Don't worry, Alice! I'm sure it was just bad luck or something."

"I haven't exactly had the best of luck either," I said in a weak voice. Choosing a cannibal village as our first destination certainly did not portend good fortune. Was I ever going to get back home?

"Look, where are you going to?" Margarete's usually cocky voice was softened by concern. She felt sorry for upsetting me. "Maybe I could arrange something for you. My supervisor owes me a few favors."

I had wanted to go to Changchun, but I remembered that I was a murderer here. No place in China would be safe for me now with the Japanese army after me. I really just wanted to go straight home. "Do you think I could go to Zurich?"

"Sure," she said cheerfully.

"Thank you."

" Don't mention it."

After this I could think of nothing to say, too happy at the prospect of going home, and Margarete said nothing either. I opened my tome after a few minutes and began reading more about the mythical country. This way I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not the plane would fail on us.

As the hours passed, I found myself being lulled to sleep. The story would have to wait for later. I was a little more than halfway through, and the signs of decay in the plants intrigued me, seeming symbolic of the corruption in the people's hearts. Reluctantly I slipped the ribbon in to bookmark my place and leaned back. Sasha's leather vest made a rather nice pillow…

My teeth rattled as the airplane shook. It looked to be around four or five in the afternoon by the sun's position. But what got my attention was that I was seeing the sun through a cloud of smoke.

"Margarete! What happened?"

"The engine's shot, that's all."

"That's all?" I echoed. My heart had dropped into my stomach and both were searching for room in my legs. "We're going to crash, aren't we?"

The spy gritted her teeth. "I'm looking for a place to land."

"What's wrong with where we—" I leaned slightly out of the plane and realized what was wrong. We were flying over water! There was only a small strip of land at the far horizon. "We're over water!"

"Tell me something I don't know!" the blonde snapped, her hair whipping into my eyes as the plane's nose dipped.

Sasha leaned against me and I realized he had to be woken up. If we landed in the water, there was a chance we'd be able to swim to shore. But if he was asleep, he'd almost certainly die.

I turned around and shook the fighter. His face was twitching, as though he was dreaming. "Sasha! Sasha, wake up! Please!"

Oblivious to everything going wrong, Sasha murmured meaningless words, garbled Chinese.

"Wake up, wake up!" I was shaking him very roughly, and it surprised me when he cried out.

"Dad, Dad, help! They're coming to kill Mom!"

"Shit, is he having a nightmare now?"

I ignored Margarete for the moment, too intent on Sasha's movements. He was tossing his head, back and forth, short cries of panic issuing from his mouth. "Wake up! Please!"

His eyes opened, wide and terrified. For a moment, he seemed to be a scared child. His unfocused gaze was directed at me. "Mom?…" he asked softly, still using the Chinese.

"Sasha?"

His eyebrows drew together in confusion. Of course, Sasha was not his real name. His mother had called him something else. The dark eyes composed themselves. "Something wrong…?" He was fully awake now.

"You bet there is, sonny!" Margarete yelled. "The engine's busted!"

"The hell did you do?" Sasha demanded, all the fear of his nightmare replaced by anger in the face of a tangible peril.

"Look, either shut up or help!"

There was nothing I could do, didn't seem like anything could possibly be done, so I turned to Sasha. "I heard you. You said 'Dad, Dad, help, they're coming to kill mom'." He was silent, and I knew he'd let something slip in his dream.

"This is not the time for a casual discourse on somniloquy!" the spy said. At the same time, the plane's nose dipped further and the plane went into a steeper dive. It was painfully obvious we would not reach the small village in sight, so far away. "We're going to crash!"

"Gimme that!" Sasha said, leaning over. He yanked on the steering instruments and pounded on some others. "Rise you damn bucket of bolts—"

Perhaps he had done something useful, because the nose rose slightly—and that was when we hit the water.

**

**Author's Note:** Um, I'm still not sure what color Margarete's skirt is…but I thought it was blue. Oh well if I'm wrong.

The kappas didn't have bowls in the game, but I read in Shonen Jump they did. It seemed funny enough for inclusion.

Anything else…?

**

**Reviewers:**

**MikoNoNyte:** I said they had bear bodies because they seemed too stocky for a cat's…wait, I answered your review earlier, didn't I? .

Sasha will grow on Alice for a while, she'll love him for a while, then she'll hate his guts. ^_^

**Nightraven Rue:** Enemy at the Gates? Don't know it.

Er…Shadow Souls may take a while longer, but it **should** be up…maybe next weekend? . Lots of homework piling up…


	3. Dalian: In Memory of Those Still Lingeri...

**Disclaimer:**  I don't own Shadow Hearts…I do own Lyssa?  Maybe?  .

**

            The plane collided with the water, shuddering violently at each impact.  It flipped over, throwing us into the water.

            I plunged into the cool water, still confused how I had got there, but the lack of oxygen quickly convinced me to swim to the surface.  I grasped along the plane to help pull myself up.  It was hard to see anything in the murky waters.

            Finally I reached the surface and held onto one of the wings.  Margarete was sitting against the underside of the upside down plane.  She quickly stood to help me up.

            "You alright Alice?  Got your stuff?  No?  Hold on."

            The spy tossed her gun to me, scaring me, before she dove in the water.  I began looking around, wondering where Sasha was.  He wouldn't drown, would he?  No, Margarete should find him.

            Margarete resurfaced with my satchel and bible.  Sasha still hadn't come up.  He'd been under for at least two minutes now.  He must be unconscious.  "Did you see him?" I asked.

            "The kid hasn't come up yet?  Maybe he's on the other side.  I'll check this one again."

            That meant I'd have to check the other side.  I nodded and kicked off my shoes, then climbed over the airplane to the other wing.  I was about to jump in when I felt a Water aura approaching me.  Margarete was in the other side, and she couldn't have possibly swam that fast.  Was it a person or a monster?  I panicked when I sensed a monster's aura.  I grabbed my bible, raised it over my head, and edged out over the wing, ready to strike.

            The monster rose up, its scaly blue arms grabbing the edge of the wing.  The plane started to tip, water sloshing over my stockings.  I swallowed, but waited.  When a reptilian head emerged, I beat it down.  A good whack and the monster went back into the water. I was breathing hard as I watched the water's surface.  That couldn't have killed it.

            Again the monster tried to get on the plane.  This time I really let him have it, hitting him three times.  The monster sank down--I must have knocked it out with the last blow--and I was feeling a bit proud of defending myself when there was a bright flash in the water.

            I'd just knocked out Sasha.

            With a startled exclamation I dropped into the water.  The fighter was sinking quickly and I had to swim as fast as possible to catch up to him.  Once I reached him, I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him closer.  Hooking my arms underneath his, I began swimming back up through the dark green waters.  I almost went down under Sasha's weight.  His muscular build made him heavy and awkward in the water, but I persisted until we reached the surface.

            Margarete turned to us as I kicked furiously, trying to keep Sasha above the water so he could breathe.  She lifted the burden of his weight and laid Sasha out on the plane's wing, then slid off so as to not throw the plane off-balance.

            "I found your other book," she said, nodding to the haphazard pile of my belongings.  Looking at the unconscious man, she tsked.  "Must have gotten knocked out when the plane flipped."

            "Actually…I knocked him out with my bible," I said.

            She stared at me, her lips twitching into a smile.  "Violent woman, aren't you?"

            "It was an accident!" I protested.  "I didn't know he was fused!"

            "Fused?  You mean when he's the tiger?"

            I nodded as I sat on the wing and stripped off my soaked stockings.  Realizing that my white shirt was now transparent and showing my pink bra, I slipped my wrinkled jacket back on.  "But he wasn't the tiger.  He looked like some sort of serpent."

            "Now he looks like carrion," Margarete said, "But he smells worse.  Sewer water and salt water.  Someone needs a bath."

            I agreed.  Sasha smelled almost as bad as Zhuzhen's catnip had.  I knelt by the Eurasian man as Margarete swam off and placed my hands on his head.  I felt more the four bruises and realized Sasha must have hit his head in the collision—no wonder it had taken him so long to swim up.  And then I had hit him!  Feeling ill in my stomach, I murmured the healing spell.  Sprinkling water on his face helped wake him up.  His dark eyes were unfocused at first, and they only narrowed as he came to his senses.

            "Alice…" Sasha tried to growl.  It came out as a rasp.  He turned his head aside as he coughed.  The coughs lasted for well over a minute.

            "Are you alright?  I'm really sorry.  I didn't know it was you."  The words spilled out as I tried to apologize.

            "How the hell could you not know?  You're a Demon Eyes."

            He was right; I'd been able to sense him when he was fused before.  "I know.  I really am sorry.  That's why I'm trying to apologize.  You can hit me back if it'd make you feel better."

            "No, it'd make me feel low for hitting a girl," Sasha mumbled.  "Never mind.  I'm alive, that's all that matters.  Just don't try to kill me again."

            "I won't."

            He smiled.  It was a lopsided grin, and I was glad to see it.  He really wasn't mad.  "Good."  Sasha stood and looked around, to where Margarete was searching her jacket's pockets on the other wing.  There were only two on the outside, but there must have been a dozen of inside pockets.  "What are you doing?"

            "Looking for my map," she said, opening more of the tiny pockets.  "Maybe I can figure out where we are—oh, it's soggy!" she said in dismay.  The yellow paper had been reduced to bits of pulp.

            "Hey!"

            We turned as a man hailed us.  He was standing in his small boat, waving to us.  I stood up and waved, then felt Sasha pull me down.  The airplane teetered back and forth as it regained its balance.  "Hello, sir," I called.  "Can you tell us where we are?"

            "Saw your plane crash.  Pretty awful, huh?  You're just off the shore from Dalian.  Need a ride?"

            Sasha quickly hid his bladed knuckles, and Margarete was probably concealing her gun and grenades.  "If it's not too much trouble."

            "No, no, course not!  As long as you're willing to share room with the fish.  I wouldn't leave anyone out on the water, not so close to sundown."

            We gave him a chorus of thank you's as the fishing boat drew near to us.  I rolled my wet stockings into a ball and slipped my shoes back on.  The plane rocked a bit as the boat pushed into it.  I climbed in, noting the fishing equipment and pile of fresh fish.  It didn't smell any worse than Sasha.

            "Do you know where Dalian is?" I whispered to Sasha.

            "The middle of nowhere."

            As the man pushed off from the boat, one of the fish fell off the pile and flopped at my feet.  It stared up at me with a wide eye and open mouth, still flabbergasted that it had died.

            "Gave me a scare when I saw your plane comin' down," the man told us.  "I wasn't sure what it was, first.  Thought maybe a monster."

            "Monster?" Sasha echoed.  He nudged the dead fish with the toe of his shoe.

            "We get 'em sometimes.  Specially after dark.  Li Li sends them."  There were lines of worry all over his face as he spoke.  His eyes roamed the ocean, lingering on the lowering sun.

            "Should we help them?" I asked Sasha.

            "Why should we?"

            "He's right," Margarete said.  "I can't stop anywhere.  I'm already behind schedule horribly.  My supervisor is going to have my head."  Her cool, focused gaze was on me.  "The sooner I get there, the better mood he'll be in and the better the chance I have of getting a few favors from him."

            So it was either help a village or get a ride home.  Except it wasn't as simple as that.  If I stayed, Margarete would leave—and Sasha might not even let me make the decision.

            "Have you gotten anyone to help with the monsters?" I asked, raising my voice to talk with the fisherman.

            "Sea Mother says a Taoist Adept is coming.  He should be coming today.  Might even be there now."

            "Oh, that's good," I said.  So we didn't have to worry.  It was already taken care of.  We could continue on our way—wherever our way was.  I didn't bother asking Margarete what her destination was.  It would be another city or village that I knew next to nothing about.

            We thanked the man again as we docked.  Margarete asked where we could find a place to rest and he gave us directions to an inn.

            "Fish," Sasha muttered.  "Almost made me throw up.  Just nasty.  I'm never eating fish again."

            "Look who's talking.  Or is it smell who's talking?"

            "Ha ha, funny," Sasha said.  "Regular riot."

            "Well, we all need a bath after that little dip," I said.

            "'Dip' is much too nice, Alice."

            "What a gutless plane that was," Margarete muttered, casting a dark look at the sea.  "I thought it'd at least get us past Dalian."

            "Forget Dalian!" Sasha yelled.  "You almost bought us a one-way trip to hell!"

            It had been rather close.  What had possessed her to fly over water when she knew the plane was unreliable?

            "Ah-ah, don't glare at me you two," she said.  "We're in one piece, aren't we?  And I got all your stuff back."

            "Yes, but my books must be ruined," I said sadly.  I opened the Shooting Star Tome and stared, then flipped to another page.  There was no water damage, even though it had been submerged in seawater!  I found that the same was true of my bible.  "How…?"

            "Books as weapons are usually made knowing they're going to go through a lot of wear," Sasha told me.  "They can resist water and fire spells to a certain degree."

            "Really?"  Even the pictures in the tome were still perfect.  I smiled and shut the books.  "Never mind then."

            "See?  She's happy," Margarete said.

            "She," said Sasha, "is a nut."

            "So are you."

            "Yeah, but I'm more of an almond.  She's a pecan."

            "What the hell?  That was the lamest joke I've ever heard.  Wait, was that even a joke?"

            Sasha shrugged, his eyes roaming around the town.  True to his report, Dalian seemed the type of town to be in the middle of nowhere.  People stared at us; they had probably never seen two European women before.

            "Stunned by our beauty," Margarete whispered to me.  I wondered if it might have been the mismatch of my blue jacket and brown skirt.

            All the buildings could have used some new paint.  One building had a faded sign with a turtle on it, but it was a restaurant, not the inn we were looking for.  We turned right and stopped in front of one of the buildings.  "This is it," he remarked, and reached for the handle.  Before he could open the door, a woman's voice called out to us.

            "Are you going to the inn?"

            The speaker was a plain woman, standing in front of rows of drying fish.

            "Don't bother Sea Mother.  She's busy."

            "Huh?"  I looked at Sasha and Margarete to see what they thought.  Sasha shrugged and entered the inn.

            An old man standing next to the inn's counter sighed.  "Another victim…it's so awful…"

            I looked to where his sad gaze rested.  Through the criss-crossing pieces of wood that made a window I could see a boy laying on a bed while a man, probably his brother, and an old woman stood over him.  The woman was praying.  I could sense some magic from her.  "Is she Sea Mother?"

            "Looks like it," Sasha answered, his eyes locked on the woman.

            "Oh almighty god, I beseech you, prolong this boy's life.  I beg of thee…" she called.

            Her healing magic didn't seem to be helping the boy.  He moaned in pain as a darker, stronger magic wrapped around his body.  "Br-brother, ask…Sea Mother to…" he trailed off weakly.

            "Hang in there, Yen Yen!  Don't give up!"  I could see how desperate the older brother was as he said reassuringly, "You're going to be alright!"  He turned to Sea Mother.  "You've got to save him, please!  He's the only family I have!"

            But then the woman stopped praying.  "Yen Yen…I can't help you."

            My heart froze at the words.  She was giving up on him.

            "You fought very hard.  You're a brave, brave boy…"

            "You can't say that!" the brother said fiercely.  "Oh, God, Yen Yen!"

            "It was very hard…but it will all be over soon," Sea Mother said, as if it made things any better.  His life was already slipping away.  Just like my father's had…his last moments were going to be of overwhelming pain.  How could she give up on him like that?  If there was even a chance…I reached out with my magic, trying to heal him if it was at all possible.

            The boy moaned louder, his hands gripping the blankets.  My magic paled next to a curse of such determined hate.  His spasms worsened.  I was prolonging his agony by trying futilely to preserve his life.  He was so far gone in the pain he only wanted the quickest end.  That was what he'd asked of Sea Mother…and she'd given it to him.  I stopped my efforts, turning my face away.  It didn't matter.  I could still feel his life slipping away, like drops of water…

            She was right.  It had not taken very long; he was already gone.  The brother cried out in grief.  More pain and another death…just like my father and the missionaries.  How could people think I was powerful when I could never save anyone?

            "Spirits in the heavens!  Spirits in the heavens!" the woman said, beginning a prayer.  My hands rose to catch the tears falling from my eyes.

            "Alice?  You alright?"

            I rubbed my eyes with my palms and looked up at Sasha.  He was watching me, both concerned and nervous.  I nodded despite the fresh tears welling up, waiting to spill over.

            There were soft footsteps as the old woman walked past us.  For a moment, she paused and looked at me.  Her eyes initially held reproach, but they softened into sympathy as she watched me.  I tried to smile politely and the tears finally crept over, cascaded down.  I turned my face to the door, away from her and the others.  The brother was still sobbing in the other room.

            I rubbed my eyes again when the door closed.  Both Margarete and Sasha were watching me.  Why?  Was it wrong for me to cry?

            "That was horrible," Margarete said.  Her face was a little pale.

            "Y-yeah," I agreed.  "Cursed and killed by someone's hate…"

            "Must have been Li Li," Sasha said.  He didn't seem affected by the death.  Maybe he never had been affected by anyone's death.  Yet in his dreams, he had been screaming…  "Do you need anything, Alice?"

            "Some fresh air would be good," I said.  The brother's shoulders were shaking as he murmured in a broken voice.  The innkeeper was also grieving, though tearless.  "We shouldn't be here."

            Outside the sky was dark, the last rays of light disappearing.  I took in the cool, salty breeze, letting it sober me.  I did feel a bit better now, at least physically.  My clothes had dried and I removed my jacket, folding it over once.  I held it tightly.  "Rest in peace, Yen Yen…"

            Margarete nodded in agreement, but the one who caught my attention was Sasha.  He had a pensive expression as he gazed up at the stars.  What was he thinking?  The fighter had a very slight smile as he dropped his eyes.  "Feel any better?"

            "Yeah."

            "Feel like eating?  I'm starved."

            His mind was on food.  How…I shook my head, discarding the thought.  I was hungry too; my stomach felt like it was digesting itself.  "Yes, a bit."

            "Oh, you're buying?" Margarete asked.  Sasha scowled at her.

            "You can pay for your own meal."

            She pouted.  The lit torches played on her light blonde hair.  "But the man's supposed to pay for the dinner."

            "I'm only buying for one girl."

            "Aren't you a gentleman?"

            "Not really."

            "Please?" Margarete grabbed his arm as he tried to walk to the restaurant.  "Pretty please?"

            Sasha sighed.  "Fine.  Just let go of me already."

            "Thank you."

            "I get the feeling you're going to bankrupt me…"

            She whacked him lightly on the head.  "I don't eat that much!"

            I heard a man giggle.  It was an odd sound, gruff and low, and much too low to have been Sasha.  I looked around but only saw a lone girl, dressed in white, standing near the skeleton of an unfinished building.  Her shoulders were hunched over and she wavered, as if the sea wind could knock her down.  Something was wrong with her.

            Sasha walked towards her, calling out, "Hey!  It's after sundown, shouldn't you be inside?"  The girl's body shook with laughter, but what sounded was a man's laugh.  It tried to be lighthearted, but there was no joviality in it.  She was angry and hurt.  My eyes widened when she turned to us.

            She met my horrified gaze evenly, a smile curling pale lips.  Her eyes were bulging from their sockets, her flesh hanging loosely from bones.  She laughed again, the small, deep, rough giggle.  "Everyone's so scared of me…they won't open their doors," she told us.

            "You're…Li Li," I said in amazement.

            "Should've known there was something funny about you," Sasha said, bringing up his fists.  "You want to fight?"

            Li Li slowly shook her head.  "Why should I?  My business is with her."  Her dark eyes returned to me, and she smiled.  "So, the sacrifice for tonight," she said hoarsely, "is you…"

            Magic gathered around her.  It was the same dark magic that had stolen the boy's life.  She was going to put a curse on me!  I tried to shield myself with my magic, but again I was too weak.  The curse tore through my defense as if it was paper and coursed through my entire body.  Every one of my nerves responded with a feeling of pain that completely overwhelmed me.  I screamed before it was too much, and then I fainted.

            My nerves were still on fire when I awoke.  I was lying on a wood floor.  A slender, gnarled staff drew my attention to the person holding it.  "Oh!  Hello…Zhuzhen."  Each word took so much strength to utter.  I had never been in pain like this before, except when I had dreamed of the witch.  Was she always in pain like this, too…?

            The Adept knelt next to me when he realized I was awake.  He had a forlorn smile as he said, "I didn't want us to meet in these circumstances either."

            I laughed, remembering his parting words in Zhaoyang, then cried out as the dark magic assailed my body again.  I curled up as Zhuzhen tried to comfort me.

            "I know it must hurt, but just hold on…it'll be alright soon…"

            "Are you going…to exorcise…Li Li?" I asked.  "She's in pain, too…someone forced her back…"

            He nodded gravely.  "I think I know who's responsible.  Don't worry, we'll take care of her."  Behind him I noticed for the first time the others standing behind him, Sasha and Margarete and Sea Mother.  All of them were watching me with such concern, even Sasha.  His eyes were full of concern and fear and guilt.  They were the same emotions he'd had when his talisman was red.  I remembered the words Margarete had translated, about the other girl Sasha had tried to protect.  No, he shouldn't feel guilty…it was my fault for being weak…but, please God…if he could save me…

            My thoughts led somewhere, but I lost hold of them; I could only remember my thought at the fireside, when Sasha had seemed a gentleman…that we might have met in Rouen…

            I was walking along a street, wide enough for two automobiles.  The gray stones were smooth and even. This was one of the newer streets in Rouen.

            "Alice!" my father called.  He was sitting at a cafe table with two other gentlemen.  He waved me over.  I sat between him and Father Doyle, who greeted me by crossing himself.  "Bacon, you remember my daughter, Alice?"

            Opposite me, the warlock nodded to me, his bright blue eyes shining.  "Yes, I remember."

            "Bonjour, messieurs."  A waited stepped up to our table.  "What would you like?"

            "Some tea."

            "Same for me," Bacon said, "But extra sugar."

            "W-water," Father Doyle requested, his wide eyes flitting all over the street.  I looked up at the street sign, Dumble Street.

            "Et vous, mademoiselle?"  Brown almond eyes lingered on me as I picked up the menu.  The items' names flickered from French to English to French.

            "Une l'eau de menthe," I told Sasha.  He nodded and made a note of it, then walked off into the darkened cafe.

            "Is he really going to come, Father?" I asked.  It was rather late in the evening.  Why hadn't the Cardinal come yet?

            "I hope so."

            Doyle reached across and touched my hand with his icy ones.  "Don't worry, Simon will come.  Simon will come."  His eyes flickered to Roger Bacon.  "Won't he?"

            The warlock laughed.  "Perhaps even he is afraid of me."

            Another waiter came to our table.  He had the same black slacks and white shirt Sasha had worn, but he had narrow slits for eyes and a painted smirk for a mouth.  "Your water," he said, serving Doyle and me our drinks.  Doyle quivered at the mask's appearance and did not drink.  I lifted the glass to my lips and took a small sip.  The minty taste was refreshing.

            "So, Bacon, what did you do with those books?" my father asked.  "James sent a letter that he believed the Emigre document was in the Nemeton monastery.  But when I went, there was no monastery!  But a lot of monsters, and Jame's grave," he said sadly.  "Poor old James.  How old were you, Alice?"

            "Five or six."

            "That's right, it was about fifteen years ago."  My father shook his head.  "Poor old James.  He was a fine man.  An upstanding member of the Christian faith."

            Bacon turned his head aside when he coughed.  It sounded like a laugh.  Sasha came back from the cafe, bearing two more drinks.  He served Bacon first and then my father.

            Bacon drank his sweet tea and sighed.  "Well then, Simon's not coming. Sasha?"

            "Yes."  Sasha nodded and took up my drink.  He seized my wrist as Bacon began an incantation.  Doyle trembled and dove under the table.  I could hear him praying.

            "What are you doing?" I asked Sasha.  "Let me go!"  I tried to wrench my hand from him, but I couldn't.  He led me to the cafe, and when his grip vanished for a moment, the masked man appeared in the doorway and dragged me inside.

            There was a click as the door was locked.  There were no lights inside, and all I could see were the lights outside--black and white, the black so much greater as Bacon's dark magic overwhelmed my father.  There was a horrible scream, and then the lights faded.  I gasped when I saw the blood splattered on the gray stones.  There wasn't even a body left. Bacon had disappeared, and the only person left was Father Doyle, still kneeling under the table in prayer.

            "Aren't you glad you're in here?" the masked man asked softly.  He vanished.

            Sasha appeared.  I could tell it was him from the light that reflected off his eyes, brown and yellow.  "Your water, mademoiselle."

            I took the glass subconsciously, staring at him.  "My father just died...don't you even care?  How can you not care about someone's death?!"

            "I saw a woman killed by monsters when I was nine.  And after that...it doesn't affect me much anymore."  He shuddered suddenly, violently.  "No...Dad, help...they're coming to kill Mom..." He clutched his head, seeming in pain.

            "Sasha?"

            His eyes glittered yellow in the dim light.  "Why are you calling me that, Mom?  That's not my name."

            "Then what is?"

            "On-tei-naa...On-tei-naa..."

            I stared up at the brown ceiling as Sea Mother recited an incantation.  The dark magic had been dulled by her incantations, but only a bit.  It still hurt so badly.  But the nightmare had been worse.  Maybe it was better to be awake and aware.

            And in the nightmare, Sasha...I shivered at the thought my dream had brought: had Sasha helped Bacon in Rouen?  _Oh please, God, let it not be true._

            A Chinese man, maybe the restaurant owner, covered me in a blanket as I shivered.  It didn't make me warmer, but I took some comfort in the softness.  As Sea Mother prayed, I began to sink unwillingly into sleep again...and with it came more dreams, presenting themselves in jumbled memories, each less coherent than the last...

            When I woke up again, it took me a few seconds to realize the pain had gone.  Or so I thought until I tried to sit up.  The movement made my body ache and my vision became hazy.

            "Lie still.  The curse has weakened you," Sea Mother told me.  "You'll be well by morning, but until then you should rest."

            I still struggled into a seated position, resting against the wall.  "Where is Zhuzhen?  And Sasha and Margarete?"

            "They'll come back soon."

            I nodded and pulled the blanket more tightly around me.  My eyes were starting to flutter when the door banged open.  Sasha strode in and immediately headed to me.  "Are you all right?" he asked, kneeling so our faces were level.  I nodded.  "You're sure."  His eyes cleared when I nodded again, his relief washing over both of us.  Something was different about him—something about his appearance, although everything was too blurry for me to figure it out.

            "Okay, kid, she's fine," Margarete said sternly.  "Now turn around and take your medicine."

            His sleeve was stained with blood.  He laughed when I gasped.  "It's only a flesh wound."

            "Bullshit!" Margarete roared.  "Take the damn Thera leaf before I ram it down your throat!"

            Zhuzhen laughed as Sasha turned contritely for his medicine.  Apparently I'd missed something earlier, but I didn't mind.  Their laughter and relief was soothing.

            "I think we've taken care of the monsters.  But Li Li didn't appear, which concerns me," Zhuzhen told Sea Mother.

            "Hey, you said you knew who brought her back," Sasha said.  "So who?  Can't see how you could tell, that seal was pretty generic."

            Zhuzhen shook his head, the long ponytail following the motion.  "No, no, that's not how.  But I knew there was an underwater shrine for the Dragon god just off the shore, the same as how Zhaoyang had a shrine for the Tortoise god."

            "Dehuai," Sasha growled.  "That idiot!  He almost killed Alice, when his entire—" He stopped suddenly.  He had almost said something he didn't want to reveal.

            "Go ahead," Zhuzhen said.  "He's planning another Valorization rite, isn't he?  One that needs a powerful Key."

            "Key?" Margarete asked.

            "A person with powerful magic.  Such as Alice," he said, looking at me.  Seeing my disinterest, he turned to Sasha.  "You've already told her?"

            "Yes, I did," the fighter answered.  "I just didn't want to get you two in this."

            The Adept laughed.  "Well, too late.  If he's planning a repeat of what happened fifteen years ago, I'm going to stop him."

            This sparked my interest.  This had happened before?  "What happened fifteen years ago?"

            "Dehuai tried to use one of the Valorization rites, the Invocation.  Even though it was stopped in time, it still killed countless people in the floods and earthquakes that followed."  Zhuzhen shook his head.  "If it had succeeded, it might have destroyed the entire world."

            "Master Zhuzhen," Sea Mother said, "if he's planning another, then…"

            Zhuzhen nodded.  "He's got to be stopped."  He turned to Sasha.  "You're protecting Alice, aren't you?  Defeating him would mean her safety."

            "On the other hand, Shanghai is the most dangerous place for her to be," Sasha said, folding his arms.  "She could easily be captured there.  If that happens, I've just helped Dehuai."

            "I want to go," I said.  Sasha turned to me.  He was clearly surprised by my answer.  "I'm going," I said again, my voice a little stronger.

            "Why?"

            "You have your reasons for what you've done.  And I have my own."  I would never be safe anywhere if those two warlocks were still pursuing me.  I would endanger everyone around me, just as I had caused my father's death.

            "Alice, this isn't a smart idea.  If Dehuai gets you, the whole world may be destroyed.  You don't want that, do you?"

            "You're not going to change my mind."  I wasn't worried about that possibility.  If I couldn't save my father—if I couldn't stop a ghost's curse—how could my magic possibly destroy the world?

            Sasha sighed and shook his head.  "Fine.  We'll go," he told Zhuzhen.

            "Oh, that means I'm outnumbered," Margarete said.  "Hm…well, Alex will have my head, but I'm probably already in trouble anyways.  Let's go to Shanghai."

            "That's all fine and well," Sasha said, "but how will we get there?  We go on land, the Japanese army will catch us.  We let Margarete fly us there and we'll definitely get killed this time."

            "That wasn't my fault!" Margarete protested, looking scandalized.

            "You can use my boat."

            I started and then looked at the door as a woman walked in.  She was dressed in shirt and pants, with a jacket over.  Her androgynous attire gave her a masculine air.

            "I just came in.  There was such a racket in the harbor, it was all I could do to save my goods from those monsters!"

            Zhuzhen eyed her suspiciously.  "And what business would you be in?" he asked.  "It seems rather late for honest traders to be out and about."

            She giggled.  "The same could be said of you, no?  At any rate, I'm a courier."  She paused deliberately for effect.  "Of course, 'courier' is a bit euphemistic.  To put it bluntly, I'm a smuggler."

            "And you think you can get four people into Shanghai?" Sasha asked skeptically.

            "We have an old boat.  The Army thinks it's a fishing vessel and lets it right through checkpoints.  They never suspect there's contraband under the floorboards…even when it's human."

            To my surprise, Zhuzhen was considering the offer.  "What would you want in return?"

            "You tell me," she said.  "You could say I'm a little short for cash…"

            Zhuzhen thought for a moment, and then nodded.  "Alright."

            "Great.  We'll see you in the morning," she said, and walked out of the restaurant.

            There was silence for a moment.  "I don't like this…and I don't like her," Margarete said darkly.

            "Why not?" Sasha asked.

            "She just didn't sound right to me."

            "I agree," I said.

            Sasha shrugged.  "She tries to trick us, she'll find how painful it is to cross a harmonixer."

            "Of course," Zhuzhen said.  "Your first response is violence."

            "Tried and true," Sasha said proudly.  He noticed my glare.  "What?"

            "You are horrible," I said flatly.

            The Adept postponed any argument by announcing, "We still have a few more hours before morning.  Why don't we get some sleep at the inn?"

            This was a wonderful plan to everyone, and after I thanked Sea Mother for her care, we walked outside.  I trailed behind the others, still feeling weak, until Sasha impatiently scooped me up and carried me in his arms.  Too sleepy to protest, I rested my head against his chest and fell asleep.

**

            Margarete shook me awake in the morning.  "Come on, sleepy."  I yawned and sat up, rubbing my eyes.  "You coming?"

            "Yes."  I staggered out of bed after she left, looking around tiredly.  My stomach was so empty I was starting to feel sick.  It took me a moment to realize that I had been sleeping in the same room that Yen Yen had died in—the same bed, even.  I wasn't normally superstitious, but the discovery made me shiver.  My hand reached up to the gold cross around my neck, rubbing the reassuring metal.  God would protect me, He would…

            I exited the room and found Sasha and Zhuzhen talking with the innkeeper.  More awake now, I realized what had bothered me about everyone's appearance the night before.  I giggled.

            "What's so funny?" Sasha asked, turning around.

            "You all look so silly," I said, laughing when I took in Sasha's appearance.  The orange bandanna was gone from his neck, and instead he wore a brown leather cap with a black bill.  Along with the new, slimmer belt, he had a very boyish appearance.

            "I told you we look stupid," Margarete grumbled.  Her hair was down and she was also wearing the leather cap and belt, which simply did not go with her blue skirt and black top.

            As for Zhuzhen, he had lost his Adept hat for the cap and was wearing a black vest over his robes.  He looked the funniest, an odd assortment of traditional and stylish clothing.

            Sasha growled.  "I am never traveling with women again.  Whining about your clothes.  And you shouldn't laugh Alice, you have to wear it too."  He tossed the cap and belt to me.

            I took the bandanna out of my hair, letting it fall freely about my waist, and put on the cap.  I traded my bulky belt for the thinner one, and then looked up at them.

            Margarete was very sour.  "But her clothes actually match."

            I considered this and found she was right.  I was wearing a white cotton blouse, and brown leather skirt and hat.  It was hard to go wrong there.  The slim, casual belt looked rather nice with my skirt.  The only things out of place were my black shoes and gold cross, but it was not as bad a contrast as Margarete's or Zhuzhen's.  Sasha didn't actually look bad, it was simply odd how youthful the cap and belt made him look.

            Sasha rolled his eyes.  "Let's just go."

            "Wait!  Wait!"  The voice came from downstairs.  We turned as a small boy ran up the stairs.  He was grinning broadly.  "You guys got rid of the monsters, right?  Just like you said?"

            "What?"

            "There's a store downstairs," Margarete told me.  "We had to go there for Zhuzhen's equipment."

            "Yeah, we did," Sasha told the boy.

            "Come downstairs, there's something I want to show you."  He ran back down.

            Margarete laughed.  "He's sure excited, isn't he? You guys go see what he wants, I'll check on our smuggler friends."  She walked out.

            Sasha, Zhuzhen, and I followed the boy downstairs.  He was standing where the store's inventory was kept, in front of a chest.  "Go ahead and open it!"

            "Alright."  Sasha passed the satchel to me so he had both hands free to open the chest.  I shifted the satchel in my hands, realizing it was quite heavy for only leaves.  But Sasha had taken the money out, so what could it be?  Curious, I opened the satchel and searched around.  There were some accessories inside, a brooch, shoes, two bracelets, a lariat necklace, and some strange device—even a little figurine of wood.  "It's a brooch?"

            I looked up at him and saw he was holding a brooch engraved with a crest, and glowing with a red light.  The boy seemed excited.

            "It's never glowed before!  Maybe that means you're supposed to have it!"

            "You think so?" Sasha said.  He put the brooch down, and it stopped glowing; took it up again, and the flare came back as strong as before.

            "Yeah.  Go ahead, you can have it!"

            "Thanks."  Sasha was smiling until he saw the accessories in my hand.  "What are you doing, Alice?"

            "Why aren't we using these accessories?" I asked.  "These seem pretty good."

            He started to walk out of the store, giving the boy a brief goodbye.  "Because they're worth a lot of money."

            I frowned at this logic.  "But wouldn't it be better if we used them…?"

            "I don't need them."

            "I said 'we'."

            "You're not using them, they're mine," Sasha said, annoyed.

            So he wouldn't let us use something that would help us fight better?  "Scrooge."

            "What?" Zhuzhen said, thinking he had misheard.

            "It means he's a miser."

            "I am not a miser.  I've bought a weapon and armor for you, and I've bought accessories for both you and Margarete."

            "I helped pay for Margarete's," Zhuzhen interjected.

            Sasha acknowledged this.  "I've still paid for one girl's stuff and half of another girl's, on top of my own equipment.  The accessories are mine."

            "Well, if you're not going to use them, and if you're not going to let us use them, why'd you buy them?"  I paused as I figured the answer out myself.  "You didn't buy them, did you?  …Are these stolen?"

            "Why do you assume the worst?  I found them.  Well, I won the lariat, and a peddler gave me the pedometer, but the others I found."

            "He gave you the pedometer?"

            "Why would I steal a pedometer?" Sasha complained.  "I'm not a petty thief."

            "Where did you find these?" Zhuzhen asked, looking at the brooch and figurine.

            "One was in Yamaraja's shrine, some were in the sewers," he said.

            I glanced down at the accessories, then looked up at Sasha.  "We're using these."

            He grumbled a bit and then sat down on the inn floor.  "Fine.  Everyone gets one.  And someone should use the pedometer, because I'll—we'll get rewards for walking."

            "Does it do anything else?" I asked, looking at its '0000' display.

            "No, it's pretty much useless otherwise."

            "Well, since Margarete's not here, maybe it should be her," Zhuzhen suggested.

            "That seems unfair," I said.  "Just because she's gone…I'll wear it."

            Sasha shook his head.  "No.  I want you to use the voodoo doll."  He held up the small figurine, which was smiling at me.

            "That's a voodoo doll?"  I was extremely hesitant about touching it now.  Weren't they used for curses?  It didn't seem malicious, but…

            "Don't worry, it's not bad.  It'll keep you from getting knocked out once, then it'll break."

            He seemed sure, so I took the miniature figure.  Zhuzhen was looking at the other items, but Sasha also chose for him.  "You should take this," he said, handing Zhuzhen a blue brooch with Greek engraved on it.  "Alice goes berserk pretty fast in a fight."

            "I do not," I said indignantly.

            "She does," Sasha affirmed.

            I scowled at Sasha and scooped up the small voodoo doll.  "I'm going to check on Margarete."  I stood just in time for my stomach to growl, making me feel more ill, almost faint.

            "Ooh, you haven't eaten since last morning, have you?" Sasha asked.  "Knew I was forgetting something.  Why didn't you say anything?  C'mon, I'll get you breakfast at the restaurant."

            "You already ate?" I asked him as I followed him out of the inn.  My stomach had easily won out over what little temper I had.

            "Last night.  Sea Mama was telling us about Li Li and it was a pretty long story, complete with sound effects."

            "Sound effects?"

            "'Schloop, schloop' and 'skree, skree'!  I think she's a bit mental," Sasha said.  "Then again, everyone I know is a bit mental.  If they weren't they'd be abnormal."

            I laughed.  "So, is this all normal for you?  Kidnapping girls and fighting monsters?"

            "Fighting monsters, yes.  Kidnapping, no.  And I don't think I'll be doing it again.  Way too much trouble.  Girls are too high maintenance.  You have to feed them, get them armor, weapons…"

            "You could have just given me to Dehuai."

            Sasha stopped and looked at me.  "Yeah, I could've."

            "Why didn't you?"

            "You ask too many questions for a prisoner," he groused.

            "But I'm not your prisoner."

            "Oh?"  He smirked, rather lazily, in accordance with the early hour.  "And what makes you think that?"

            "Because you're trying to keep me happy," I said.  "If I was really unhappy, if I really wanted to get away, Margarete and Zhuzhen would help me.  You haven't kept me secluded.  Either that was a mistake on your part, or you never really meant for me to be your prisoner."

            "So then what did I want you to be?"

            "I-I don't know."  What could he have wanted me for?  "Maybe I'm just your way of getting even with Dehuai.  But I'm not your prisoner.  I'm not, because you need me."

            He shook his head.  "I need you?  All I do is show you some kindness and you think I need you?"

            He didn't deny it either.  Instead he led me into the restaurant and ordered for me, knowing I couldn't read the Chinese menu.  I couldn't tell what was in the soup they gave me, but I gulped it down anyways—I was famished.  Sasha ate a light breakfast and then walked off.  He was talking to a man in the back; I saw a piece of paper exchange hands and then they were both huddled over something.  I craned my neck to see in vain.  Sasha let out an exclamation of delight and came back swinging a gold pocket watch.

            "Okay, this one I'm selling," Sasha told me as he sat down.

            "Why, what's it do?" I asked, tapping it.

            "He said it's supposed to help time your attacks or something.  Which is the silliest thing I've ever heard, but it looks valuable."

            I sighed.  "Is money all you care about?"  It certainly would explain his criminal ways.

            "That, and sex.  I just don't talk about sex with you because I figured you'd have nothing to add to the conversation."

            I had often wondered if there was ever a thing as being too candid.  Sasha had just given a wonderful example.  "Lean a little closer," I said, "there's something in your hair."

            "You want to hit me, don't you?"

            "The thought crossed my mind."

            He laughed.  "I told you I was a pain to get along with."

            "You underestimated yourself."

            "Hey!" Zhuzhen called, stepping into the restaurant.  "You two done eating yet?  We should be leaving soon."

            Sasha nodded.  "We were just chatting about sex."

            I hit him with my hand.  "Don't say it in Chinese!"  The whole restaurant could have heard.  I turned to Zhuzhen, my face turning red as all the blood rushed up.  "He's lying.  He's just being a nuisance."

            "Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Sasha said, chuckling since he knew it'd irritate me.  He dodged when my hand came down to hit him again.

            "You shut up," I told him, nearly upsetting the broth remaining in my bowl as I continued to whack at him.

            "Alright, alright!  We were talking about money," he told Zhuzhen.  "Alice can't talk about sex, since she's a good little Christian--what the hell are you hitting me for now?"

            "You say it as if it's a bad thing!"

            "I didn't mean to!"

            "Right," Zhuzhen said as he watched the fight progress.  He took the bowl of soup out of harm's way and returned it to the front.  By now Sasha was evading most of my hits, so I sat down and glared at him.  He smirked.  Then I kicked him in the shin, as hard as I possibly could.

            "Owie...I'm sorry..." he said, wincing.

            "Better," I said, folding my arms.

            "If you two are done, we should go."  Zhuzhen was apparently anxious to go, so Sasha paid for my meal.  Sea Mother was eating an early breakfast of dried fish and rice.  We said goodbye to her before leaving the restaurant.

            "Don't be mad," Sasha said as I sulked a bit.  "Today's been good so far.  We got to sleep on beds this time."

            I shook my head in disbelief.  "That's your measure of a good day?"

            "That, and whether I've been hit or not.  You don't count since you don't hit hard."

            "You are pressing your luck," I grumbled.

            Margarete was also in a foul mood when we found her.  She was standing at the harbor with a man whose face was as impassive as stone.  When he spoke though, his voice belied his agitation.

            "O-oh, the boss told me about you guys!  Are y-you ready to leave?"

            "He's as bad a liar as you are," Margarete told me, eyeing the broad-shouldered man with dislike.

            "Yeah, we're ready," Sasha said.  We all filed on board.  He looked around, then shrugged at the slime on the deck.  "It'll do."

            "We're setting off," the man with the prominent chin said.

            "Alright," Sasha called back.  He turned to us.  "We're going to Shanghai, which is practically owned by Dehuai.  And the Japanese army's also going to be there.  We all look kind of suspicious.  Well, except for Zhuzhen."

            "It'd be easy for you to pass yourself off as a full-blooded Japanese," Margarete said.  "I think it's just us girls who'll be in trouble."

            "Yeah…the worst part is you're both blue-eyed blondes, which just screams foreigner."  Sasha shook his head.  "The only thing I can think of would be to hide Alice's cross, and that doesn't even begin to cover it."

            I still slipped the golden cross in my blouse.  I knew he was right; there weren't many Christians in China, so a cross would attract undue attention.

            "There's not much we can do about it," Margarete said.  "Our eyes are wrong, our hair is wrong, our skin is wrong.  We'll just have to lie low."

            Zhuzhen nodded in agreement.  "Sasha and I will look for leads on Dehuai.  I already know where we might find some information."

            "But shouldn't Sasha know where he is?"  I turned to the fighter and found he was covering his face.  "Are you okay?"

            "Yeah."  He took his hand away and answered the other question.  "I know where he is, but I've never forced my way in there before.  Also…I don't have too many details on the ritual Dehuai is preparing.  He didn't trust me that much.  Never did, since I'm half Japanese.  He doesn't like Japanese."

            "So we need to find a way to get in, and we should have more info on just what he's doing," Margarete clarified.  "You know anything, Zhuzhen."

            The Adept considered.  "I would think the rite is the same as last time—a spell with the effect of turning the world upside-down, into absolute chaos.  But then, Sasha—Sasha?"

            Sasha had covered his mouth and was starting to look quite green.  "Y-yeah?"

            "Are you ill?" I asked.  He certainly did not look well.

            "I'll be fine.  When's the boat going to stop rocking?"

            "Uh…kid, it doesn't stop rocking until we're in Shanghai," Margarete told him.  We all watched as his face became greener at the news.

            "Oh, sh—"  Sasha stopped mid-swear, his chest heaving.  We all stepped back, realizing he was about to throw up.  The harmonixer dashed for the side of the boat.

            "Seasick," Zhuzhen commented right as Sasha retched.  The sounds of vomiting continued for a while.  Sasha would stop, rest his head on the wood for some time, then abruptly straighten up and vomit again.

            "Is he ever going to stop?" Margarete asked, wrinkling her nose.

            Cautiously I approached Sasha.  The fighter looked sick as a dog, his face paled as he rested.  His leather cap was dangling precariously over the side from one hand.  "Today's going to be a shitty day," he complained.  "Just my luck."

            "Maybe you should lie down," I suggested.  "Is this your first time on a boat?"

            "I was fine on that other boat."

            "You were sitting down."  Looking around, I noticed stairs heading down near the center of the boat.  "Listen, you shouldn't feel the rocking as much if you're in the middle of the boat.  You want to go downstairs?"

            He turned around to see the stairs and morosely shook his head.  "I don't think I can make it that far."

            "Don't be silly.  I'll help you.  Come on."  I took his arm and slung it over my neck.  "Come on, stand up."

            "I think I'm gonna hurl."

            "Wait until you're downstairs."

            We edged our way down the stairs, Sasha stumbling one step behind me.  There were four beds downstairs, in various states of filth.  I laid him down on one of the lower beds only for him to moan a moment later and roll over, off the bed and onto the floor.  He landed on his face.

            "Um…are you alright?"

            He groaned in the affirmative.  At least, I thought he was affirming that he was fine.  He didn't seem too bad.

            "I've never seen anyone this seasick before," I said, considering.  "You want me to try healing you?"

            He nodded, apparently unable to speak.  I knelt by him and placed my hands on his back.  "**Cure**."  The healing magic entered his body.  I watched him closely, but nothing seemed to be happening.  Finally I looked him in the face.

            "Any better?"

            He moaned, a clear no.  Well, he wasn't exactly hurt, so there wasn't much for a Cure spell to do.  I couldn't heal him.  Sasha would just have to wait it out.

            "You want a blanket?  And a pillow?" I asked.  Both questions received nods, so I retrieved the cleanest pillow and blanket.  If he had to be sick, he might as well be comfortable.  Sasha took the pillow gratefully, sinking his head of spiky brown hair into it.

            Zhuzhen came down just as I had finished Sasha in.  "Is he feeling any better?"

            "No, he's still sick," I told him

            He tapped Sasha with the small ball on his metal staff.  "Don't mess up the pillow."  The young fighter moaned in response.  "How are you doing, Alice?"

            "I'm doing well.  And you?"

            "Fine, fine.  Margarete showed me that spell you made last night."  He smiled.  "I didn't know you could figure out spells that quickly."

            "Well, I had a good reason to," I said.  "But I need to work on my magic more still."

            Zhuzhen considered this.  "How many do you know?"

            "For fighting, only three.  One to heal, one to change auras, and one to attack."

            "One to attack?"

            "Yes, Blessed Light…that's what it's called.  My father showed me how to use it…"  I trailed off uncertainly as I recalled what little good the spell had done him.  It hadn't even touched Roger Bacon…not even a spell blessed by God could stop him, but…why?  Sasha's dark brown eyes were watching me.  I met his gaze and he opened his mouth, then closed it again.  He was still too sick to speak.  "But I'm not really thrilled about attacking."

            "Well, at least you have something to fend an enemy off with," Zhuzhen said.  "And Margarete and I can take care of monsters if Sasha's still down."  He chuckled and poked Sasha again, lightly.  He seemed to enjoy ribbing Sasha about his seasickness.  "You can focus on healing.  Is that what you like?"

            "Yes," I admitted.  It was so much fun talking to Zhuzhen.  It seemed like we could understand each other better, if not because we were both exorcists, because we were somewhat similar in disposition.  Margarete and Sasha were both more brash, sometimes much too bold for my liking.  Although I was being unfair to Margarete in comparing her to Sasha.  Sasha was much worse.

            "So to improve your magic, maybe you should focus on spells to increase defense," Zhuzhen advised.  "There are also spells to remove toxins from a body…healing is not limited to simply the restoration of energy."

            I nodded.  So I should learn spells to protect myself and others.  I thought of the spell Sasha used in his tiger form.  It strengthened his defense physically, but magical defense would be good as well.  If Dehuai was attempting such a powerful ritual, his magic must be very strong.  I'd have to think about that.  "I'll do that," I told him.

            "Who's your teacher?" he asked.

            "Who…?  Well, my father was, but…"

            "But?"

            "He died.  Six months ago."  Zhuzhen was silent in respect—but I couldn't bear the quiet.  I had already heard too many moments of silence.  So I broke it.  "But I'd be very grateful if you could teach me, Zhuzhen."

            "I'm not sure if that would work out.  We're different classes, and we use very different styles."  The metal staff tapped against the rotten wood as he pondered.  "Still, we could probably learn from each other—help one another."  He was very humble when he said it, even though he had so many more years of experience than I did.

            Sasha snorted.  I wasn't sure what he thought was so funny, but Zhuzhen still looked irritated.  "You shut up," he told Sasha.

            Sasha still had a smirk when the Adept left.  "Well, you must be feeling better if you can laugh at people," I said, none too pleased.

            "Not really…just too funny."

            He could speak now, too.  "What was so funny?"

            "Kappa and him…he mixed up incantations…should've seen."  His almond eyes glanced up at me.  "Last night…must've been really bad."

            "It hurt," I admitted.

            "Course it hurt.  Wouldn't be a curse if it didn't."  His voice was stronger, and he risked propping himself up with his elbow.

            "What does it matter?  I'm fine now."

            Sasha shook his head.  "Do you just do that all the time?"

            "What?"  He shook his head again.  His face was turning a bit green and he rested again on faded blue cloth.  He was seasick again.

            I sighed and rummaged around my few belongings.  I felt my bible and realized with a sharp regret that I had not read yesterday.  I should read more today.  Although on normal days I might read anywhere from ten to twenty-five pages, so 'more' was quite vague.  I opened to Isaiah, my favorite prophet, and began to read.

            _Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool._

            I glanced up at Sasha.  For a moment I was tempted to read the scripture aloud, but it would only either confuse him or anger him.  There was no point in doing that.

            He was distracting me.  Shaking my head, I returned to reading.  But only a few chapters later, I ran across another scripture.

            _The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb…_

            Sasha could be the wolf, and I the lamb.  Although it was not the peaceful coexistence that the scripture described.  It pretended to be that, but there was always the uneasy feeling that he knew so much more than I did.

            Actually, he wasn't quite a wolf.  He was too light-hearted, more of a trickster.  Like a fox.  I looked at his mess of brown hair and imagined it as fur.  Exactly like a fox.  I laughed at the thought.

            "What is it?"

            "Oh, you can talk again."

            Sasha seemed annoyed by my observation.  "What were you laughing about?"

            "You," I said truthfully.

            He shook his head.  "Great.  Just great."  He rolled over so he was on his back.  "Well, I feel a bit better now."

            "That's good," I said.  Before I could return to my scriptures, however, he drew my attention again.

            "Are you sure you're fine…after what happened last night?"

            Why did he keep asking?  I nodded.  "You probably had it worse than me, fighting monsters and all.  I had some nightmares, but…"  I bit my lip.  "Um, Sasha?"

            "Yeah?"

            "Were you…have you…"  How would be the best way to ask?  If I asked directly, he would think I was accusing him.  If I was wrong—and I prayed I was—he would be upset.

            "Just say it, Alice."

            "In one of my nightmares, I-I dreamed you pulled me away from my father so Roger Bacon could murder him.  And, I know it was just a dream but I've been so worried that—that—"

            "I wasn't involved in your father's death.  I've been in China for the past year, aside from a few trips to England.  And for those I was teleported."

            His tone was frank and concise.  There was no anger or hurt in his voice.  For some reason that bothered me.  Shouldn't he be a tiny bit upset that I had wrongly thought him an accomplice to murder?

            "That answer your question?"

            "Yes.  But I have another question."

            He chuckled.  "The prisoner interrogating her jailer.  You are bold."

            Sasha was so calm about everything important to me.  And now I thought I might have an idea why.  "You said you saw a woman murdered when you were a child.  Was that woman…your mother?"

            He did not answer at first.  When I looked at him his dark eyes were wide, gazing at the ceiling.  They were curiously flat.

            "Why do you ask?"

            "Yesterday, you were saying things in your sleep.  About how someone was coming to kill her."

            The young man remained silent, so silent it stilled my own breath.  Why had I asked such a callous question?  It had made me curious, but now…now…why wouldn't he say anything?  He must be so angry with me.  I opened my mouth to apologize, but all the words were woefully inadequate.

            His voice was monotone: "Yes, she was."

            "I shouldn't have asked."  No, that wasn't right.  That was an observation of my foolishness, not an apology.

            He made no response to my statement.  I don't think he even heard me.  "She was a really pretty lady.  Russian.  She was a good mother."

            "A good mother?"

            "She died because she was blocking me from the monsters."

            So Sasha's mother had died protecting him.  Just as my father had given his life to save me.  "I'm really sorry," I whispered.  I shouldn't have asked.

            To my surprise, I heard a chuckle.  Sasha rested his elbows on the bed I sat at, watching me.  "How can you cry for a woman you never met?" he asked.  "Or are you crying for me?"

            I reached up to feel the tears that had run down.  "I don't know."  Maybe it was only for myself and my father.

            "Li Li must like you for that."

            I paused in wiping my eyes.  "What?"

            "Sea Mama said you two had similar powers.  Maybe she thought you would show your pain more…or maybe she was hoping you'd cry for her."

            She had the same powers as me?  I had sensed some strength from her, but I hadn't expected anything like that.  "What do you mean, cry for her?  What happened to her?"

            "You remember how she had a man's voice?"  I nodded, remembering the rough giggles she had made.  "It was her father's voice.  He was in a storm fourteen years ago, and it didn't seem he would return home alive.  So she offered anything to anyone that would help him.  The storm stopped, but whoever had done it had a sick sense of humor.  They switched her voice with her father's."

            "So he had her voice?"

            Sasha nodded, resting his head on the lumpy bedding.  "Sea Mama said he never talked it again.  There was no way to undo the curse, except to kill her father.  And then Li Li had to fall in love, with a man she could never talk to because of the curse.  So then she had to choose between her love and her voice or her father."

            That was so horrible.  I was starting to see why she had become a ghost, if she had had such a tragic life… "And she chose her father?"

            "I'm not sure.  She tried to kill him a few nights but she couldn't bring herself to do it.  Until there was another storm, and he was fishing again.  This time no one stopped the storm."

            "So he died?"

            Sasha nodded, his eyes the color of petrified sap.  "They found little bits of his boat on the shore.  But the biggest problem was that since she didn't kill him, Li Li didn't get her voice back.  She lost her father and any chance of having a normal life.  After that, she shut herself up in her house and mourned."

            "No wonder her soul can't rest," I said sadly.

            "I'm not done yet," Sasha said. "A few days after he died, the father came back from the dead as a zombie. He came back to let Li Li kill him and get her voice back."

            "But...she still has a man's voice."

            Sasha nodded. "I know. She chose to kill herself instead. They think she drowned herself with her father's corpse." He paused as this all sunk in, this horrible, gruesome story, and then commented, "She was an idiot. She should've just killed him and gotten her voice back."

            I was shocked at this. How could he blame someone for not wanting to harm their parent? "How can you say that?"

            "Because that's why he couldn't rest in the first place, because she wasn't happy. If she had killed him he'd at least have known he'd done everything he could. Now that she's a ghost, he's probably not at rest either."

            Sasha had a point. It was hard to see how the father could be at rest when his daughter was so miserable in her existence. But I empathized with Li Li, wanting to be with her father. I couldn't blame her for that.

            "Well, I'll let you get back to your reading," Sasha said as he staggered to his feet. The bible still laid open in my lap. "I'm gonna go upstairs...see what the others are up to." He was shaky as he climbed the stairs, gripping the rails tightly. I shook my head in exasperation. He was going to make himself sick all over again.

            I tried to continue reading but my mind wasn't on it. I kept seeing Li Li walking to the harbor, arduously dragging a man's corpse behind her. The thought brought shivers to me. Poor Li Li. She had only wanted her father's life spared...and instead, someone had made both their lives hell...what demon would do such a cruel thing?

            And now she was a ghost...but why was she killing people? Was she angry that no one had been able to help her? Or did she want someone to be sympathetic to her pain? Was it both?

            Zhuzhen hadn't seen her last night, so he hadn't been able to put her soul at rest. She must still be lingering in this world, unable to move on. If I prayed for her...would it help her?

            I closed the bible in my lap and clasped my hands. I prayed to God, asking him to guide her wayward soul. If there was any way I could save her, I would be a willing instrument in His hands. She shouldn't suffer because of a pure-hearted desire to save her father.

            As I prayed, I felt the cross beneath my blouse grow warm, almost hot. I tried to continue praying, but the heat increased until it was almost burning me. I ended the prayer quickly and drew the cross out. The golden cross was glowing a brilliant white as it lay in my hands. It wasn't so bad now that I was holding it; the warm feeling was rather nice.

            "Are you asking Him on my behalf?" I asked. "Father?" I held the cross close to my chest, feeling the heat it gave off. He must be watching over me from heaven, still protecting me. "Thank you."

            "Who…are you talking to?"  Sasha looked ready to collapse as he came down the stairs.  The tired fighter sank down on the stairs.  "The damn spy's plotting something and Shanghai's a day away.  I hate my life."

            "Shouldn't you lie down?"

            "No, I want to die on the stairs.  That way those morons will only get to their beds over my dead body."

            He certainly knew how to ruin a contemplative mood.  I tucked the cross away as he continued to complain.

            "Margarete's writing a memo to her government about us.  I got a look at it before she stuffed it down her shirt.  It says our abilities might be useful."

            "That's bad, isn't it?"

            "Yes.  She sends that and we'll have a second army after us.  I'm going to rip it up tonight while she's asleep."

            "But it's in her shirt."

            "All the more fun for me," he said, grinning slyly.

            This was beginning to resemble our fruitless conversations, where I ended up inevitably being annoyed.  Still, it was better than before, when he had seemed so distant about his own mother.  I smiled at the wrong time: he saw.

            "Why are you smiling?  I swear, it's like you're always laughing at me."

            "You're just nice to be with," I said.

            "I thought I was a pain."

            "You're both."

            "The hell," he stated flatly.  "I think you're more messed up than I am."

            "But it's nice being around someone my age for once.  How old are you?"

            "Twenty-four."

            I nodded.  That seemed about right, although I had thought he might be younger.  "Four years older than me.  Most of the missionaries were at least twenty years older than me.  It felt a bit strange."

            "Lonely?"

            "Maybe."  It might have been lonely for different reasons; they had been fearful of the Japanese army finding me, and had never let me go outside.  They had good reasons not to, but it meant that after a month there was nothing to distract me from remembering my father's death.

            Sasha nodded in agreement.  "It does get boring sometimes.  Older people are too reserved."

            "Maybe you're too forward."

            "Hey!"  He lifted his head so he could glare at me more effectively.  "I thought you were on my side."

            "I never said they were too reserved."

            "That's right, you get along with that geezer.  I forgot you have the temperament of an eighty-year-old."

            I picked up a pillow and flung it at his head.  He caught the projectile easily, laughing.  "Sasha!"

            "Hey, you two!  Something's going on!"  Combat boots thundered down the stairs as Margarete rushed in, stopping just above Sasha's head.  The spy looked at us curiously.  "Am I interrupting something?"

            "Nothing important," I answered.  "Is something the matter?"

            "Something big!  You'd better come see…come on!"

            From the urgency in the spy's voice I knew it was something important.  I immediately rushed outside, stepping over Sasha as carefully as possible.  Zhuzhen and the two smugglers were out on the deck, looking quite concerned.  Although I couldn't see anything wrong, I sensed a dark presence that made the air suffocating.

            "What's wrong?" Sasha called as he straggled behind me.

            The woman turned to us and quickly explained, "The boat's turning circles in the same place, over and over."

            "Turning circles?" I echoed, not understanding.

            The male smuggler nodded.  "There's nothing wrong with the motor, but the boat won't move forward.  It's like…the boat's being held by something underwater…"

            An uneasy feeling gnawed at my heartstrings as I heard a gruff man's voice.  "You should die…"

            "Li Li…" I whispered.  "It's Li Li."

            "Li Li?" Sasha demanded.

            The female smuggler saw her first.  I followed her wide-eyed gaze to the corpse that stood on the ship's railing.

            "Die!" Li Li shouted. "Let the stinking saltwater fill your lungs and die!  The mindless fish will pluck and poke at your rotting corpse, at your bulging eyeballs!"  Just like they had at hers.

            _Oh God, this isn't right…_

            Zhuzhen turned to the smugglers.  "You two take cover!" he snapped.  "She's likely to give us some real trouble."

            "A-all right!" the boss said. She and her subordinate made a hasty retreat, but I didn't pay them much mind.  Li Li was the only one who mattered.

            "Li Li!" I cried out, drawing her attention to me.

            The corpse laughed slowly, her whole body shaking.  "So nice you remembered.  I've been waiting for you…"

            "Li Li, please, tell us what you want us to do.  What can we do so that your soul may rest in peace?" I asked.  If I could help her in any way, then it was my duty as an exorcist to give aid.  "What do you want from us?"

            She disappeared from the railing and reappeared, much closer to me.  The stench of rotting flesh was overwhelming.  "I want you to suffer and die!  That's what I want!" she bellowed.  "My friends are coming to greet you!"

            Wasn't there any way I could help her?  She moved away, back to the railing.

            "Damn bitch still hasn't moved on yet," Sasha said angrily.

            "On-tei-naa…Kai-zei-chii-fuu-motsu-gyaku…on-tei-naa…on-tei-naa…"

            "You…?!" Li Li exclaimed as the chant continued.  Light began to flash around the corpse.

            Zhuzhen laughed.  "When did you get here, Sea Mother?  You must have masked your presence."  I felt she was beneath us…but we would have seen her downstairs…a metal well to store fish in caught my eye.  Had she hidden in there?

            "You think you can suppress me?" Li Li snarled.  "Die!"  She summoned her magic and struck too quickly for us to react.  The lightning hit the well and I heard Sea Mother scream in pain.  Zhuzhen rushed to the well and opened it, helping the elderly woman climb out.

            Despite the blow she had been dealt, Sea Mother stood on her shaky legs and turned to the rotting corpse.  "Li Li!  I will save your soul!  You will not be made to suffer anymore," she said, her voice nearly breaking with sorrow.  "Calm your spirit!"

            "Silence!" Li Li yelled, again striking the woman with magic.

            "Stop this!" I said, horrified at the pain she was inflicting.  I knelt by Sea Mother as she resumed her chant.  However, it was far from pacifying Li Li.

            "The pain," the rough, male voice rasped.  Li Li glared at us with nothing but hatred in her bulging eyes.  "Creatures of the deep, attack!  Drag these fools to the bottom of the ocean!" she screamed before disappearing.

            Zhuzhen turned to Sea Mother.  "Are you all right?  Why on earth did you do that?"

            "Forgive me, Master Zhuzhen," the old woman said slowly.  She rose gradually to her feet.  "I…I just wanted to send Li Li off to Nirvana…"  Tears rose in her cloudy eyes as she spoke, her voice tremulous.

            Zhuzhen nodded sympathetically.  "Let me lend you a hand.  Why don't we place seals on the boat to help Li Li's spirit calm down?"

            "Master Zhuzhen!" she said with surprised gratitude.  "Are you sure?"

            He nodded.  "Think nothing of it.  Let's go to work."  He turned to Sasha, tapping his metal staff decisively.  "Sasha, you help Sea Mother rest until I've got a seal up.  And if monsters start coming, I'll need you to back me up."

            Sasha nodded, clearly comfortable with his role.  "Got it."  He seemed much less seasick now that his mind was on something else.  As he led the way back down, I walked behind Sea Mother and watched closely for any signs of weakness.  She faltered in her steps and I nearly panicked.  But she was strong for her age and made her way down the stairs before sinking with obvious relief into one of the beds.

            She was still weak from the ghost's curse, so I began a Cure spell to heal her.  "Save your strength," Sea Mother told me.  "You will need it the most."

            "Are you sure?" I asked.  Her body was still trembling.  The elderly woman nodded.

            "Why were you hiding in there?" Margarete asked.  "What, did you know this would happen?"

            Sea Mother nodded.  "I suspected that because Alice had escaped the curse, she would pursue you."  Her eyes gazed up at me, wide yet veiled by her sadness.  "You are the most like her, and for this…she seems even more eager to see you suffer."

            I bit my lip.  I was both worried that Li Li hated me so much, and that Sea Mother thought we were so much alike.  "Don't worry, Zhuzhen will put her soul at rest.  And we'll help him."

            "Thank you," she said.  "I owe it to Li Li to send her to Nirvana…"

            "Did you know her well?" I asked.  They seemed to be closely intertwined, and I had noticed that their white clothes were similar.

            "She was my apprentice," Sea Mother said.  "She had so much faith that I could help her…and I failed her…"

            "Don't worry about it," I said reassuringly.  "Li Li's soul will be at peace soon.  Just rest."  I took the blanket from the bed and draped it around her shoulders, hoping to ease her shivers.

            She gripped the blanket's edge tightly, pulling it closer around her frail frame.  "I hope she will be," she prayed.

            "Come on," Sasha told me.  "The monsters are probably coming now."

            Margarete and I followed him upstairs.  There didn't seem to be anything wrong, although I had an awful feeling of foreboding—and then screams, both male and female, burst from the wheelhouse.

            "That must be the smugglers," Sasha said.  "I guess we have to help them."  I ignored his deliberation, already running to the door.

            "It's locked!"  The handle refused to turn, no matter how hard I pulled.

            "Stand aside."  Sasha stood behind me, waiting for me to move.  As soon as I did, he lifted his foot and broke the door off its hinges with a side kick.

            "I could have just shot the lock," Margarete murmured, surveying the damage Sasha had done.  There were pieces of wood everywhere in the cabin.

            The two smugglers were both down, still conscious to tell by their moans.  Floating over them were a dozen of ghostly skulls, grouped in threes.  Somehow a group of three skulls was one entity, I saw when they turned to attack us.  They moved as one, charging forward with wisps of flame trailing behind them.

            Margarete was immediately shooting, one bullet after the other.  The creatures screeched, a high, piercing noise.  I raised my Shooting Star Tome and tried to fight off the skulls charging me.  I bit my lip in pain as the skin on my fingers felt like it would burn from the flames' proximity.  When the skulls backed away, I scanned the room.  Both Margarete and Sasha had killed a group of skulls.  It was a bit embarrassing that mine were still alive.  The spy seemed a bit hurt, but not enough to warrant a Cure spell.  She aimed at my skulls and fired only once.  The middle skull burst, spewing a gelatinous substance over the room, and all three sank down.  Sasha polished off the last group with fluid punches and kicks.

            "Just what are these?" I wondered, looking at the liquid they had left behind.  Ghosts shouldn't do that…

            Margarete poked the deflated skull.  "Call me crazy, but…it looks like a jellyfish now."  She started as the creature faded.

            "Jellyfish?"

            "I'll just call you crazy," Sasha said.

            The fallen woman groaned, bringing my attention to the two smugglers.  "**Cure**!" I called twice, healing both the woman and the man.  They began to stand as I heard another voice, Sea Mother's.

            "I'm not about to lost to the likes of you monsters!"

            I turned to Sasha, startled.  "Looks like we gotta go save Sea Mama's ass," he muttered.  We ran out of the wheelhouse and stormed the stairs.

            Sea Mother was down on her knees when we found her.  I shivered at the fiends that surrounded her.  Three large, aqua snakes looked at us, with a single eye for each.  They slithered forward, every coil of their body a menacing action.  A bullet from Margarete split the eye of one.  It moaned in pain but continued its advance, crawling unerringly to Margarte.  She continued shooting, but she cried out in pain when the creature struck.  It sunk its fangs into her thigh and refused to let go even after I brained it with my tome.

            With shaky fingers, the spy pried the monster's mouth open and then dropped it.  Her fishnet stockings were torn and blood dribbled from the fang marks in her skin.  I was about to heal her when there was a gagging sound from behind.

            The other two snakes had gone after Sasha.  The fighter was now down on his knees, his face turning blue as one serpent tightened its vise around his neck.  One hand tried desperately to wrench the monster off; the other arm was made useless by the second snake coiled about.  Margarete aimed carefully and shot one, two, three times into this one, since there was less chance of a miss being lethal.  Struck repeatedly in the head, it dropped off of Sasha.  With both his arms free, Sasha tore the snake off of his neck and flung it into a bed.  I quickly cast Blessed Light, trusting it to take care of the monster.  I didn't want to come anywhere near it now.  The serpent writhed in pain before falling and slowly fading.

            Sasha rubbed his bruised neck as he coughed hard.  I healed both him and Margarete before turning to Sea Mother.  She was beginning to regain her own strength and cast a healing spell on herself.  "Are you all right?"

            "I'll be fine," she said.  "Please, could you check on Master Zhuzhen?  He's in the middle of a ceremony…if he is attacked…"

            "Don't worry, we'll go check," Margarete assured her.  She tested her healed leg, resting some of her weight on it.  Her shoulders fell as she relaxed.  I smiled, at least my healing was good.

            Though there was no screaming or panic, we proceeded with haste to the deck, where Zhuzhen was preparing for the exorcism.  He was kneeling in the middle of four candles, which shone brightly in the night, his aura rising as he chanted.  And yet, all of his strength was being channeled, weakening him.

            Four of the red skull groups appeared, one by each candle.  As the sounds of gunfire commenced, I held my tome tightly and concentrated.  "**Blessed Light**!"

            One of the groups fell, but another came together, all three skulls quivering.  The flame around them grew stronger, and I screamed as the same flame wrapped around my body.  The odor of burning flesh was nauseating; the feeling was agonizing.  Margarete shot at them to make them leave me alone.  I gasped a thanks and mumbled the Cure spell.

            Luckily, Zhuzhen was still fine.  His aura was still growing, but with some quick hand motions, the energy dispersed—replaced by a large, golden pentagram on the floor.

            I gasped at the design's power.  "This is…"

            "…Not too shabby," Sasha said.  His tone tried to mask how impressed he was.

            "Oh, can it," Zhuzhen told him.  "This pentagram will help contain her spirit.  I'll keep her weakened as you fight her."

            So we had to fight Li Li.  There was no peaceful way to put her at rest…

            "I'll help," Sea Mother called.  She made her way from the head of the stairs to stand in the pentagram, opposite Zhuzhen.

            The Adept nodded and looked at us.  "Give me a shout when you three are ready."

            "You have the leaves, Alice?" Sasha asked.  I nodded and held up the satchel.  I had started to learn how to distinguish the types of leaves and distributed Thera leaves before taking a Mana leaf.  "Remember to use the Pure leaves if you feel like you're going to lose it."

            "I will."

            "You need any time?" he asked Margarete.

            "No, I'm fine," the spy said.

            "Alright then, let's go," Sasha told Zhuzhen.

            "Let's begin, Sea Mother!"

            "Yes, let's," she said.  "On-tei-naa…on-tei-naa…Li Li, come before me!"  Both of the exorcists focused their energy and the pentagram glowed more strongly.

            "H-here she comes," I said nervously.

            Li Li's corpse appeared in the center of the pentagram.  "Damn you mortals," she snarled.  "How dare you invoke that wretched chant!"

            She charge at us, startling me into action.  I raised the tome as she struck with all her ferocity.  Her attacks knocked me down to the wood floorboards but Sasha quickly threw her off of me.  My chest ached from the hits dealt.

            Margarete pulled out a grenade but paused.  There were five people in the pentagram, making it too risky for explosives.  The spy swore in French and settled for using her gun.

            I held my tome close, ready to use magic.  We had to weaken Li Li.  Should I use Blessed Light?  She was a Dark class, so it would be effective…maybe too much so.  I didn't want to harm her more than necessary.  I chose instead to heal myself.

            Li Li, however, had no qualms about using her magic in an offensive manner.  She lifted her arm slowly, black mist wrapping around it.  She looked at me and smiled as she recited a chant.

            The black mist flowed from her arm to me, piercing my chest.  I think my heart stopped for a few seconds.  Everything faded before my eyes, and I heard wood clatter against the deck as the voodoo doll broke.  Fumbling, I found the satchel and a Thera leaf.  I chewed only once before swallowing.  The attack had made me fall to the floor, but I was still conscious—and now much more willing to use my own magic for an attack.

            Sasha was in front of me, and I could tell from the way he moved between Li Li and me that he was trying to block her from attacking me again.  I was grateful for the gesture, but I needed a free path for a Blessed Light.  Now it was obvious I couldn't hold back.

            Margarete was continuing to fire into Li Li.  The spy was spouting fierce invective about how things should just die when they were shot in the head.  There were three shots in Li Li's forehead, forming a triangle, and two in her chest.  Margarete was searching for some vital point, but I was sure it would continue to elude her.

            "Sasha!"  He turned back and saw the magic gathering in my hands.  Realizing my intent, he quickly stepped aside.  "**Blessed Light**!"

            Just as her spell had been devastating to me, mine knocked the corpse down in a flurry of lights.  As she was down, Sasha took the advantage to drive the bladed knuckles into her abdomen.  She moaned from the pain in her father's voice and swiped furiously at Sasha's face.  He cried out as blood dripped from his eyes and I healed him as soon as I could.

            The pentagram was taking effect on Li Li's spirit.  She seemed a little unsure as the fight continued.  She stopped using her magic, instead attacking.  Margarete shot, and Sasha tore away at the rotten flesh, and I cast Blessed Light.

            After the third spell, Li Li fell on her back.  She moaned, clearly in agony, but her malice was fading.  Her anger was dying…for the first time, she seemed truly aware of who she was, what she was.  "Help me," she begged, "The pain…Sea…Mother…"  Her eyes went to the elderly exorcist, pleading.  Sea Mother nodded, almost crying with tears of relief.  Li Li's pain would soon end.

            My eyes widened as I sensed a new aura on the boat.  One filled with vengeance…was this the person behind Li Li's return?  Why…was it coming here?  Li Li was so close…

            "This doll's just about served its purpose."  The speaker was an old Chinese man, dressed in clothes styled similarly to Zhuzhen's age and just about the same age as him.  However, he wore an ugly expression, a cruel smirk.  He was indeed the owner of the vengeful aura.

            "Dehuai, you moron," Sasha said.  "You know you almost killed your Key with this 'doll'?"  He folded his arms.  "Dumbass."

            Dehuai chose to ignore him for the moment, which made me suspect Sasha might be correct.  He chose instead to focus on me.  "Ah, Alice…you're even more beautiful in person…"

            My fists clenched at the impertinent remark.  Here was Li Li, on the floor in agony, and he was discarding her like—like some broken doll!  "You were the one who brought Li Li back!  You were **using** her!"

            "So I was."

            Zhuzhen shook his head in disgust.  "You'll do anything to get your way, won't you?"

            Dehuai laughed.  "You still don't understand, Zhuzhen.  But I'm sure you two," he said with a dark glare to him and Sasha, "will make excellent food for the crabs."  He turned to Li Li.  "Now, Li Li, I will unleash your full power!  Hate everything!  Devour them with your hatred!"

            "No!" I said.  She was so close to finding peace, he couldn't do this to her again!  In the same manner of Zhuzhen's incantations, he performed his, revealing the metal claw that replaced a left hand and the peg for a leg.  Flames surrounded Li Li and her body contorted as they engulfed her.  They lifted her to her feet as she continued to writhe, her father's voice screaming.

            Her rage was building again.  The two Chinese exorcists began praying again, redoubling their efforts.  Both were sweating from the exertion, but Sea Mother trembled like a leaf in the late autumn wind—I couldn't see how she was even standing.

            Not even the pentagram could contain Li Li's fury now.  It was affecting her body, as the ashen skin took on a purple hue and the black of her hair turned to a shock of white.

            "Wait, Li Li!" I cried out.  But it was too late, I could see; her arms were changing into tentacles, her lower body encased in a darker shell.  As she had died in the sea, she was becoming a creature of the deep in her wrath.  We would have to calm her spirit again.  We would have to fight her again and inflict more pain.  "I promise," I said fervently, "I promise I'll deliver you to your eternal rest!"

            But Li Li only laughed scornfully.  Margarete shook her head.  "I don't think she's in a mood for reasoning."

            "I know."

            Li Li spread her scythe-like tentacles apart.  A dark fog gathered at our legs, working its way up.  It prickled painfully, like I was being stabbed with hundreds of needles, but it wasn't as bad as last time.  Sasha was the least hurt, being attuned to darkness himself.  Margarete was not badly off either; in fact, the spy was already shooting at Li Li, adding to the bullets in her body and head.

            Sasha charged at the monstrous shape.  He dug the bladed knuckles, making some black fluid—blood?—spurt from the open wound.  Li Li howled and knocked him aside with her oily tentacles.  In turn, I unleashed a powerful Blessed Light.

            With Margarete unable to use her grenades and Sasha reluctant for some reason to use his fusion, the fight became a flurry of gunshots and punches.  I alternated between casting Blessed Light and curing when it was needed.  Slowly we were wearing Li Li down, under the eyes of Dehuai, Zhuzhen, and Sea Mother.  Why wasn't Dehuai doing anything?  He was simply observing us, curious…was this a test?  Startled by my glimpse of understanding, I looked up at the sinister Adept.  He was testing me…through Li Li!  He wanted to see if I could survive—he didn't expect anyone else to.

            The realization gave me a fresh surge of determination.  If this was a test, I would exceed his expectations, and help everyone else survive.  That was why I had been gifted with these healing powers.

            Li Li used her magic again, in the same attack as before.  In rapid succession, the three necessary Cure spells were cast to heal everyone.

            Both of the exorcists seemed so exhausted.  I hoped they would be alright, especially Sea Mother.  She seemed to be completely drained of her strength, only still standing because of her determination to save Li Li.  She'd have to rest soon.

            I found a Pure leaf and chewed on it.  I had to stay focused on the fight.  Sasha attacked Li Li again and the effects of the pentagram became more apparent as she began to sway, weakened.  There was a sharp twinge of surprise from Dehuai.  He had either overestimated her or underestimated us.

            Margarete continued firing and I cast Blessed Light.  Just a little more, and Li Li would finally rest…as Sasha and Margarete continued to pound away at her, I focused my energy for one last spell.  "**Blessed Light**!"

            As the stream of lights hit her, Li Li moaned and slumped forward.  Her arms dropped and she fell forward, her body slowly changing back into its original form—though now riddled by bullet holes and blade marks.

            As she laid on the floor, I could feel all the vengeance seeping out of her, that spark of hatred finally dying.  Very slowly, her lips moved.  "Th-thank you…"

            I sighed, gripping the tome tightly to my chest as she faded away.  Li Li was at rest.  Both she and her father could go to heaven.

             Sasha smirked and turned to Dehuai.  "Now it's your turn."

            Dehuai only laughed.  "I'll kill you soon enough, pest."  He disappeared and I heard a body drop to the floor.  Sea Mother had fallen.

            "Sea Mother!" I cried out.  She must be exhausted, she needed rest!  But I paused when I reached her side.  There was…something empty about her.  Just like…a corpse.  I knelt down, reached out, brushing aside her white sleeve, and held her wrist.  There was no pulse.  "Sea Mother…"

            "You're really something, Sea Mother," Zhuzhen said.  His voice was shaky, as he was still weak from the exorcism.  "You gave everything you had to save her…it was the finest exorcism I've ever seen…"

            Her skin was aged and leathery, worn from many years of aiding her town.  Her arm fell back to the deck as I stood and walked to the front of the ship.  The last rites needed to be done, and yet, no Christian prayer would do.  I remembered the prayer she had used for Yen Yen and lifted my voice.

            "Spirits of the heavens!  Spirits of the heavens!" I called.  "Our beloved exorcist will be coming under your care."  I clasped my hands as the last night flooded back to me, how she had watched over me so diligently to keep me from dying.  And I—I had done nothing for her.  "Our wonderful, wonderful exorcist…please be good to her."

            Zhuzhen laughed and I turned to see that Sea Mother's body was gone.  She had indeed found rest.  "A fine send off.  Sea Mother will be most pleased."

            From the wheelhouse, the male smuggler emerged.  He was clearly nervous as he looked around wildly.  Spotting us, he ran towards us.  "The monsters are gone now, aren't they?"

            Margarete answered him.  "Yes, they're all gone."

            He nodded and then walked back to the wheelhouse, probably to report to his boss.

            Zhuzhen sighed.  "I wish I could say they're gone, but there's always the off-chance…"

            "Forget it.  Li Li was bringing them,, there's no reason for them to come anymore."  Sasha shook his head.  His eyes closed and he covered his face.

            "You getting seasick again?" Margarete asked.  "I swear kid, you've been fine for the last hour—it's all in your head!"

            "Then why is it in my stomach?" Sasha grumbled.  He stumbled over to the side of the ship and I heard the sounds of retching begin.

            "Anyway," Zhuzhen said, "I'll stay up here for a while, to make sure.  You three should go get some of that food the smugglers promised…"

            "Sounds good to me," Margarete said.

            "I want some too."

            "Forget it, you'll just throw it up."

            "No I won't!  You said it was all in my head, right?"

            Margarete and Sasha were already on food.  Just minutes ago a woman had died…did they not care?  Even Zhuzhen did not seem affected by the night's events.  Was it only me?  Why…?

            _I don't belong here._

            "Come on Alice, you hungry?" Margarete asked.  I nodded, though my appetite had left me a while ago.  Was something wrong with me?  I hadn't eaten since morning, I could be hungry…how could I be when I had just seen a woman die?  "Alright, let's go downstairs.  Sasha can get the food."

            "Goddamn it, why do I have to do all the work?"

            "Go on, get it if you're not too seasick," Margarete taunted.

            Irritated, Sasha made a rude gesture with his hands.  Margarete only laughed in amusement.

            _How can they just laugh?_ I wondered.  Everything seemed unreal now.  It didn't make sense that a person could die and others could see and not care.  It was like a bad dream.  Oh, there I was again, thinking things must not be real because I didn't like them.  Maybe I was just a fool.

            My legs followed Margarete down to the cabin.  She frowned when she looked at me.  "You alright, Alice?"

            "Yes."

            She didn't believe me.  "Hey, we did pretty good tonight, didn't we?  Now Li Li's at rest and Dalian doesn't have to worry about monsters or ghosts."

            But now Dalian had no Sea Mother…everyone had seemed to rely on her so much.  What would they do without her?  What would they do when someone needed a healer or passed away?  They must already be wondering where she was…

            "All right, time to dig in," Sasha announced as he came down.  The food was plain, rice and vegetables without any meat.  It did not look at all appetizing.  I took the bowl he gave me with a polite smile.

            "So those smugglers are good for something," Margarete said.  She brought the bowl close to her mouth as she ate, using the chopsticks quickly and efficiently.

            Sasha shook his head.  "Jumpy though.  Those guys are suspicious."

            "Told ya so."  Margarete's voice was muffled, probably because of her food.

            "Don't…that's just disgusting, Margarete."

            I played with one of the rice grains before trying a small bite.  I couldn't taste anything.  I poked around in the bowl with my chopsticks.  My mind was still on Sea Mother and Yen Yen and the missionaries and my father.  How many did that make it?  Five.  Five lives that passed away, that I didn't do a thing—

            "Alice?  What's wrong?"

            "Mm?"  I looked up and started when Sasha's face was only a breath away from mine.  His brown eyes were boring into mine even after he sat back.

            "What's wrong?"

            "Nothing."

            "Then why aren't you eating?"

            "The food doesn't taste good," I said.  He would probably laugh if I told him what was really wrong.  No, Sasha would not be that callous.  Would he?

            Sasha's eyes narrowed in irritation.  "It's not like we're on a cruise ship.  It's that or it's nothing."

            "I know."  I didn't really care.  I took a small morsel of rice and then dropped my chopsticks in the bowl.  "I'm just not really that hungry."

            His hand touched my forehead.  I backed away from the touch and he frowned.  "Well, you don't feel hot, but you didn't give me much chance to check."

            "I'm not ill."

            "The what the hell is wrong?" demanded Sasha.  "I'm not in the mood for Twenty Questions."

            "Then just leave me alone!" I said, losing my patience.  Was it so hard for him to see I didn't want to be bothered?

            His expressive almond eyes rolled.  "What did I do now?"

            I thrust away the bowl.  I was letting my bad temper start quarrels.  I shouldn't be down here.  I grabbed a pillow and blanket before heading upstairs.  It was then I realized I was crying.  The tears made me both ashamed and angry.  Why was I the only one who ever cried?  What was wrong with me?

            Zhuzhen was coming down the stairs, though he stopped when he saw me.  "Alice?"

            "I'm going on the deck," I murmured, ducking my head away as I brushed past him.  I hoped he wouldn't follow me.  He didn't.  Thank God.  I walked past the wheelhouse and chose a spot near the barrels.  I tossed the pillow and blanket down, then tossed myself down on them, and tried to calm down.  But it simply didn't work.

            I pulled the blanket over my head in the vain hope that no one would see me crying. But if they didn't see me, they would certainly hear me.

            Why was I so helpless? Why couldn't I save anyone? Everyone seemed to die around me. Why did people think I had powers when I couldn't do anything? Ever since Father died...

            No, even before that. It had started eight years ago, with Lyssa...Alyssa...when I first heard her voice. When I found I wasn't a normal child, that I had 'powers'. But then it had been okay. People did not expect much of me, and when I exceeded their low expectations, I was met with praise and encouragement.

            But now everyone required too much of me. Or maybe I had reached my limits and no one had realized it yet. But their claims and expectations kept rising, and every time I came up short, another person died. Why did this keep happening to me? Had I done something wrong? But then...why did others get hurt, and not me?

            I heard shoes on the floor of the deck and tightened the blanket around my head. Hopefully the smugglers would think I was sleeping, not crying. The sound came closer and then stopped.

            "I hope you're not planning on sleeping out here."

            It was Sasha's voice. I shut my eyes, glad that I was facing the barrels. If I was just quiet long enough, he'd think I was asleep and leave me alone.

            "You're not asleep, Alice. I heard you sniffling." With a thud Sasha sat down and sighed. "Could you just tell me what's wrong?"

            I was sleeping now. If I talked to him I was sure I would start crying again. The tears were already building up and a headache was raging, turning my brain to mush. I felt so awful. Sasha must think I was such a crybaby, and I was.

            "Say something. Please." Sasha groaned when I didn't respond. "Please, Alice? I'm really desperate here." His voice had taken on a wheedling tone. "I've got Zhuzhen bothering me to be a gentleman and apologize and Margarete threatening to string me up and use my manhood for target practice if I don't."

            A short laugh burst from me at the humorous idea.

            "See? I knew I could get a response with that," Sasha said.

            I was starting to cry again, now that the silence was broken; I could either feel nothing or feel sorry for myself, and Sasha insisted on bothering me. "You're such a jerk," I muttered.

            "Jerk? You can't think of any better insults?" I clutched the blanket even tighter, shutting the salty breeze out completely. "Come on, be a little creative. You're like a nun."

            "Bastard." It was the worst word I could think of.

            "Ah, but I'm a stubborn bastard," Sasha said cheerfully, "and I'm going to stay here until you tell me what's wrong."

            "Nothing's wrong."

            "No?"

            "No," I said in a final tone.

            "Then come downstairs and eat."

            "I'm not hungry."

            "Then come downstairs and sleep."

            "I'm not sleepy."

            "Then why are you covering yourself with a blanket?"

            "I'm cold."

            "You're crying."

            "I'm cold."

            I heard his shoes scrape against the deck as he stood. He was going away. Good. My headache was going down a bit; if I could have fifteen minutes to myself I could make myself presentable and come back down and explain that I had been in a bad temper and apologize for my rude behavior.

            Then the blanket was torn away. I rolled over as I tried to hold on, but Sasha succeeded in taking the blanket from me.

            "Wow," he said in surprise, "You're really red."

            I yanked the blanket back and buried my face in the green cloth. I already knew I looked horrid, why did he have to tell me that? My face was red, and probably my eyes too, and my hair was all messy. _I must look so stupid to him._

            "I know you're crying, Alice, for the love of God, will you tell me why?" He was beginning to be exasperated again. "Is this about Sea Mother?...Hold that thought."

            With that, he walked a bit to the side and vomited.

            "You're making yourself sick," I murmured.

            "I don't care. I told you I'm a stubborn bastard, and I'll warn you now I'm more stubborn than you are." He was silent for a moment. "Is it my fault?"

            "No."

            "Okay, whose fault is it?"

            "It's mine. I'm in a bad mood."

            "Why the bloody hell are you in a bad mood?" His pacing was almost storming across the old deck. Margarete and Zhuzhen could probably hear him in the cabin.

            "Because I've seen five people die that shouldn't have, and they wouldn't have if I could actually do what everyone wants me to, and--" I burst into tears again and turned back to the pillow.

            "God damn it, Alice," Sasha said emphatically.

            I didn't care.  He already knew I was a baby, what was the point of hiding it anymore?  It gave me a spiteful satisfaction to think how dismayed Sasha must be.  He was risking his life in taking me from Dehuai, and what a disappointment I was.  Change the world…determine man's fate…when I couldn't change the fate of one…

            I heard Sasha slide down.  His pants were brushing against my hair.  He leaned over me and I tensed when I felt his hands on my waist.  "Relax," he whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you."  He carefully drew me up so my head was against his chest.  I turned and placed my face against the cool leather vest.  I was still crying hard, and I felt Sasha's arms wrap around my small body in…a hug?  "You're only human.  It's not your fault."

            Why was he comforting me?  I thought he was mad at me.  I opened my mouth but couldn't think of anything except the obvious: "You need a bath."

            Sasha chuckled, his chin resting on my head.  "You don't smell so pretty either."

            I probably didn't.  I sniffled and he laughed quietly again for some reason.  Was he laughing at me?  "Why can't I do anything?"

            'You've done plenty.  Don't worry about anything.  Sea Mama's sure not upset about being dead, or she'd be raising cain right now."  I laughed, even as the tears continued to well up.  "They're all at rest now.  They're fine."

            "You think so?"

            "Of course."  His grip on me tightened a bit, but by now I was completely relaxed.  For some reason, all of Sasha's usual agitation had vanished.  He was even…humming.  It sounded like a lullaby, so soothing.  But what could have calmed him?  Was it because…I was upset?

            But I wasn't so upset now.  His touch was rather comforting, a reminder that he would protect me.  The blanket was still draped over my legs.  Both were warm.

            "You feeling sleepy yet?"

            "Mm-hm."

            "You want me to take you downstairs?"

            "You'll get sick if you stand up," I reminded him.

            "Well, I'll let my stomach settle down first."

            I nodded, my head rubbing against his chest.  "Good."  Knowing that I would get to bed anyways, I settled in his hold, too tired to move.  I closed my eyes as Sasha paused in his humming to sigh.

**

            "My, don't you two look cute."

            Margarete was standing in front of me, along with Zhuzhen.  The male smuggler was trying to glance indiscreetly at me—or at us, I corrected myself, realizing I was still on Sasha.  We were still on deck too.  The sun glared in my eyes.

            "I'm guessing you did a little more than apologize…"

            "Wha?" Sasha croaked groggily.  I had already looked down and seen where his hands had snuck to.  One was a little too high on my waist, while the other kept me up on his lap by holding my rear securely.  "Ah…heh heh…please don't hit me, Alice."

            "Kindly let go of me," I requested.  I didn't know how to move away on my own without making things more awkward, since his arms were wrapped around me.  The Eurasian man quickly let go and I stood up.

            Margarete was still grinning broadly, enjoying our discomfort.  "We were wondering where you two were all night…"

            I glared at Sasha, wondering myself why he had taken me downstairs like he had said he would.  "My stomach didn't feel good," he said defensively.

            "You could have woken me up."

            "But you looked really comfortable."

            "In your arms?" the blonde teased.

            Sasha folded his arms.  "I'm not saying anything, because I know you're going to twist it around."

            "Pervert," she muttered.

            "I was asleep!"

            My stomach growled, complaining at the lack of food.  I covered it hastily, but everyone on deck must have heard.

            "I suppose we should have our breakfast now," Zhuzhen said.

            "God, Alice, you need to eat more," Margarete said.  "I keep thinking you're going to wither up and blow away."

            "I am rather hungry," I admitted, turning red.

            Sasha rolled his eyes.  "This is the second day in a row you've had only breakfast.  You're going to starve yourself."

            "I don't mean to—"

            "Let's just eat," Zhuzhen interrupted.

            We all sat down in a circle for breakfast.  Even the two smugglers joined us, the man sitting between Margarete and Sasha and the woman sitting by me.  I edged away from her slightly, towards Zhuzhen.

            This time there was some meat in the rice, fish I discovered when I put it in my mouth.  Despite his declaration of never eating fish again, Sasha was devouring the food.  Margarete was chuckling at him; he frowned when he realized what the joke was.  "Shove it, I'm hungry," he said, and went back to his food.

            I also had a voracious appetite.  I had four bowls, and stopped when I felt that anymore would make my stomach explode.  I leaned back against a barrel and sighed.  Now that it was daylight, everything about last night seemed so distant.  Except for Sasha.  I remembered his kindness and his serenity; his bad smell too.  I giggled, attracting everyone's attention.

            "Are we near Shanghai?" I asked.

            "Two or three hours," the man responded.  He was still eating, slowly and methodically.

            I nodded.  "Well, then, I'm going to go downstairs.  I want to finish reading my tome."

            Down in the cabin, I sighed as I sank down into one of the lower beds.  I felt stuffed like a goose.  My stomach felt hard with the rice and fish and vegetables packed in.  I rolled over and picked my tome up off the floor, where I had left it last night in my tantrum.  A soft breath escaped me.  It wasn't something I should think about now.  Sasha was right; as long as their souls were at rest, it wasn't so bad…  I just needed to become stronger, so it wouldn't happen again.

            I read to the end of the tome, when the once beautiful, now desolate, continent sank into the ocean.  And as it did, a small boy made a wish…upon a shooting star…that the continent would be reborn in its full glory, moments before the flooding waters had swallowed him up.

            The tome dropped from my hand, landing on the floor.  I rolled over onto my back and stared at the loose stuffing of the mattress above.  It was so sad.  I shouldn't read sad things anymore.  Now I felt like crying again.

            Zhuzhen's staff, tapping on each step, announced the Adept's entrance.  "I thought you were reading, Alice."

            "I finished the book."

            "Did you like it?"

            I nodded.  "It was very poetic.  Lots of symbols.  I think I missed some."

            "Are you feeling better?"

            "Yes."  I gave him a genuine smile.  "Sasha cheered me up.  You were right about him, Zhuzhen, I can trust him."

            Sasha had shown so much concern for me in Dalian when Li Li had cursed me…and then on the boat last night.  He wasn't concerned for only my physical well-being; he seemed to truly care about me.  Whether he wanted to admit it or not, I was more than a prisoner to him…now the question was…what was I?  Did he…fancy me?  No, that was ridiculous.  Maybe he felt sorry for me.

            The Adept had a smile that resembled a grimace.  He looked very uncomfortable.  "About Sasha…there's something I think you should know…"

            I frowned at the wary tone in his voice.  Had Sasha done something bad?  "What is it?"

            "Hey Alice, Zhuzhen, Sasha wants you guys up here," Margarete called.

            "Can it wait?" Zhuzhen asked.

            "Well, he says he's going to croak any moment now, so he wants someone to do the last rites."  It was impossible to miss the spy's tone of amusement.

            Zhuzhen rolled his eyes.  "Big baby," I was surprised to hear him mutter.

            On the deck, Sasha was busy tossing up breakfast and whatever supper he had left.  Both of the smugglers were back in the wheelhouse.  Margarete shook her head.  "Why do we feed you, anyways?"

            "I didn't think I was gonna get sick again," he moaned.

            "Turned green as soon as he stood," Margarete told us.  Zhuzhen sighed.

            "Then why doesn't he sit down?"

            "Well, he did try, but then it was either throw up on the deck or stand."

            "Sasha?  You want me to help you downstairs?" I asked him.

            "I don't think it'll do much good," Sasha groaned, but he gave me his arm and leaned on me.

            I took small steps, trying to keep Sasha steady, but we had only reached the wheelhouse when he broke away from me.  He staggered to the side of the boat, barely making it before he threw up again.  His face was pale as his chest heaved.

            My hand patted Sasha's back.  "Are you going to be alright?"

            "…No.  Damn, now I'm dry-heaving.  Fuck this," Sasha growled suddenly.  He moved back from the railing and put one foot on it.  Before I could ask what he was doing, Sasha stood on the railing and dove in the water.

            "Sasha!"

            "What's he doing?" Margarete demanded.  Together we leaned over the edge, searching the dark waters.  Where was Sasha?  What was he thinking?  How was he going to get back on the boat?

            "There's a monster in the water," Zhuzhen said, pointing.  He gripped his staff tightly, but then I grabbed his hand.

            "That's Sasha," I said.  It was the blue reptile, an odd lizard-like creature.  He looked directly at us and smiled with the monstrous jaws.  It wasn't very pretty.  "You're not going to swim the rest of the way, are you?" I called out to him.

            As response, he dove under, hiding himself from view should the smugglers have come back out.

            "That's one way to not get seasick," Zhuzhen said, shaking his head.

            "Hey," Margarete said, "Whatever floats his boat."

**

**Author's Note:**  Okay, hopefully none of the chapters will ever be this long again.  Coming in at thirty-six pages…wow.

Some notes about this chapter:

I don't know where I heard 'raising cain' from, but it's the same thing as raising hell.  It seemed like something Sasha might say.  And Sasha's first line to Dehuai is something I've always wanted to say.

A little Sasha/Alice scene for everyone who likes Yuri/Alice…this was planned, although I kept changing how it came about and when.

For how combat goes, I used how many turns it took for my characters to defeat monsters.  Of course, then I realized right before I fought Li Li that all of my characters were in the back row for some obscure reason.  (I think it was because physical attacks were ineffective against the last boss.)  And I didn't bother retesting, so I just said whatever and fought against Li Li.  It took me three turns to defeat the first form, five to defeat the second.  I added one turn onto the first battle and I think two on the second because grenades on a boat is a little too risky, and I didn't think Sasha would fuse in that situation.  Hm…there's something else here.

Oh, Lyssa is a reference to a fanfic idea about when Alice discovered her powers.  And I don't know how I did, but I decided Alice discovered her powers eight years ago when she was twelve.  If this is wrong, tell me.  There might be more mention about Lyssa in later chapters (most probably in the Zurich chapter).

**

**Reviewers:**

**A Lifeless Beauty:**  Yay, it's pretty!

Yes, it is planned to be more angsty than the original game.  Yes, Alice is going to hate his guts.  Yes, they will be in love for a little while.  There are a few butterflies in this chapter.

Sasha is much more vocal than Squall…although I can also see how he resembles him.

Yay, Fav Author!  ^_^

**MikoNoNyte:**  Hopefully you don't think this chapter is short.  ^^;;;

I liked having Alice blackmail Sasha.  It seemed right; she felt trapped by him and is just rattling the cage a bit.  Having fun with him.  ^_^  I'm glad my detail was good.

Hm, two people comparing Sasha to Squall.  Well, they both are a bit more anti-social types, though I'll have to not have Sasha say "Whatever" now.

Sasha's just fun to play with.  It's basically tampering with Yuri's character and seeing what would be changed with the storyline change.  (Does anyone know the storyline change?  That will probably be in the Cypress hotel scene next chapter.)

**Nightraven Rue:**  My history class actually talked about watching that movie.  I wanted to see it to know what you were talking about, but the teacher decided we would watch Pearl Harbor.  ;.;


	4. Shanghai: Unveiling

            As soon as we docked, we were ushered off the boat by the smugglers.  Not a moment too soon, either; a merchant who reeked of fish approached the boat, but turned back when he realized that there was no one on board.  We stood by some barrels as more people gathered, curious about the fishing vessel that had neither people nor fish.

            "What about your boat?" Zhuzhen asked the female smuggler.  "If one of you doesn't claim it—"

            "It's worthless.  Besides, it's not even ours."

            Perhaps I was getting too used to the mention of crime, because I did not even question it.  Instead I leaned over the water, looking in.

            "Sasha will probably cause a bigger commotion when he comes up," I remarked, scanning the sea.  He had been following us most of the time, but I had lost track of him about twenty minutes ago.  "Where is he, anyway?"

            "Right behind you," Sasha breathed in my ear.  I shrieked and nearly pitched forward into the water.  Before I could fall, I felt a grip on my collar that drew me back and settled me on my feet.  Sasha was grinning from ear to ear.  "Got ya."

            "Are you trying to kill me?" I demanded.  "I almost fell in!"

            "Sorry," he said, not looking the least bit so.  "It was just too perfect.  I couldn't resist."

            "You can't resist anything, can you?"  I shook my head.  "How'd you get here so quickly?"

            "I'm a fast swimmer," he said.  His brown eyes glanced warily at the smugglers and I realized this wasn't the best topic for conversation.  "We're a mess.  We better get some new clothes."

            "We'll get the hotel room for you," the smuggler boss said.  "That way you can sneak in without the employees seeing you."

            Sasha looked at the smugglers, considering.  "All right.  This will cover the expense of a room at the Cypress Hotel," he explained as he handed the woman an ample amount of yuan.

            The woman nodded.  "Right then."  She turned and ran off, her subordinate following her.

            "I take it you've been to the Cypress Hotel before?" Zhuzhen asked.

            Sasha nodded.  "A few times.  The employees are pretty easy to bribe."

            He had probably bribed many people before.  I chewed my lip, uncertain how I felt about that.  It was certainly evil, and yet, Sasha was not.  Or at least, he…still had a bit of goodness and caring and warmth, buried under.  Why didn't he show that kindness more often?  It would make things so much simpler.

            "Now, let's see…clothes," Sasha muttered, looking around.

            "How about there?" Margarete said and pointed.  "They've got some armor too.  Although…it looks kind of tacky," she said, frowning at the metal caps on display in the windows.

            "Well, let's go there then," Sasha replied and walked towards the glass doors.  He pulled the door and the chimes clattered as we entered.

            "Welcome," a man with thinning hair greeted us, "Good morning.  Is there anything I can help you with?"

            I ducked my head away as he talked, hoping he wouldn't look at me too closely.  "No, we're fine," Sasha said.  "We're just looking."  The man nodded and ducked down beneath the counter.

            We examined the armor first, metal caps and western-style belts.  They were indeed, as Margarete had said, tacky.  Especially the metal caps.  They looked ridiculous.  Zhuzhen studied the studs in the caps.  "They're placed in accordance to the principles of Feng Shui," he explained.

            "How the hell do they think these things up?"

            "They are stronger," Zhuzhen told Sasha in patient tones.

            The hats were considered a moment longer.  No one found them appealing.  "Alright, let's get them."

            "What about the belts?"

            At this time, I was growing more and more aware of the dark eyes of the shopkeeper on me.  He seemed to be going about taking care of his shop, but his eyes moved to us far too often.  My throat felt dry and I swallowed nervously.  This wasn't anything like Dalian, where there'd been hardly a radio in sight.  News of the soldiers on the train must have spread like wildfire in Shanghai.  Did he think I was a criminal?  "Sasha," I whispered, "he's watching us."

            Sasha looked at me and raised his eyebrows.  I nodded and he stood, four caps in one hand and four belts in the other.  He dropped the items on the counter with a clatter and spoke to the older man.  His voice was unnaturally low as he leaned on the counter.

            "What's he saying?" I wondered.

            "Nothing good I bet," said Margarete.

            The spy seemed right, because the shopkeeper was steadily turning pale as Sasha continued.  When it seemed the man might faint at any moment, Sasha abruptly laughed and clasped his shoulder, as if they were good friends, shaking him.  He straightened up from the counter and paid for the armor, then returned to us.

            "What did you do to him?" I asked, now more concerned for the shopkeeper than us.  The man was staring at the money Sasha had put down as if it was cursed.

            "Just dropped a few names, messed with his mind a bit," Sasha said flippantly.  "He won't report us now."

            Zhuzhen shook his head, an emotion akin to disgust crossing his aged features.  But he said nothing.

            "You sure he won't?" Margarete asked.  "Well, I guess you're right.  That's good."  I wondered if this kind of intimidation was common in her line of work.

            "Yeah, now let's get some clothes."  Sasha pulled me along when I didn't move from my spot.  I felt I should say something to the man, reassure him that he was not in any real danger, but what if it backfired and he did tell someone?

            Finally I tried to put the man out of my mind and scanned the store.  There was a variety of clothes.  I immediately headed towards the dresses but Sasha pulled me back, shaking his head.

            "Inconspicuous, Alice.  Nothing fancy."

            "Oh, face it, how do you think you're going to hide her?" Margarete said.  "The army already knows exactly who they're looking for."

            "Yeah, but they didn't give much of a description," Sasha said, thinking.  "They said they were looking for a Caucasian female…"  His face suddenly brightened and he started pulling my arm again.  "Come on, Alice."

            "Where are you going?" Zhuzhen said, beginning to stand.

            "You two stay put.  I'm going to disguise Alice and then get your opinions.  I've got a really good idea."

            Further back in the store were the men's clothes, and a small dressing room.  This Sasha practically shoved me into and then came in himself.  He faced me away from the mounted mirror.

            "What are you doing?" I demanded.  I did not like being manhandled very much.

            "You know how they described you as a Caucasian female?"

            "Yes..."

            "Well, we can't do much about you being Caucasian.  But we can do something about you looking like a girl."

            "You mean...you're going to make me look like a boy?" I said dubiously.  I was not sure I liked this idea very much.  He wanted to make me a cross dresser!

            "Yep," Sasha said.  His gloved hands gripped my long hair.  "First thing to take care of is this hair of yours.  We need to hide it somehow."  He took my cap and tried piling my hair on top of my head, then covering it with the leather cap.  My hair was of course much too heavy for this and fell out immediately.  Sasha rummaged in the satchel, finding both my bandanna and ribbon.  "We need to sell some of this stuff," he muttered.  His next approach was to try securing my hair with them while not making me overtly feminine.  I could tell from the small sounds he was making that this was not working.  He sounded quite frustrated.

            "This isn't going to work," I told him plainly.  "And stop tugging, that hurts."

            "All right.  I'm going to try one last thing.  Stand still."

            "Stand still?"  I heard the sound of metal hitting against metal.  "Sasha? What are you doing?" I asked.

            He grabbed my hair tightly, and for a second there was a pull so hard I bit my lip to keep from crying out.  As soon as I was released, I whirled around to yell at Sasha--and saw a few white-blonde strands fall from his bladed knuckles.  I followed them and saw the mass of hair on the floor.  Now my gaze traveled slowly back up the mirror.

            "Oh, my--"

            Sasha clamped his hand over my mouth as I started screaming.  "Hey, hey!  Relax!  I just took a bit off your hair."

            "A bit? A bit?" I demanded as soon as my mouth was free.  "You hacked all my hair off!"

            "I didn't take it all off.  Just enough so you'd look more like a boy."

            The person in the mirror had a very red face and ragged hair.  I reached up to the back of my head and felt how close Sasha had cut.  "Oh my god," I whimpered, "I **do** look like a boy."

            "A boy wearing a leather skirt," the fighter commented with a grin.  "Now hold on, I'm going to even your hair out a bit."  He edged behind me so I was standing closer to the mirror.  "Just hold still."  He picked up a short piece of hair--although now it was the longest piece I had--and trimmed it closer to my head.

            I stared at my reflection as Sasha worked.  From having waist-long hair, I had gone to having hair that was cropped close to my head.  Although my hair was still a bit longer than most boys' were, a small relief.  Mother would have killed me if she had seen me.  Not only for my hair, but the fact that I was crammed in a dressing room with a man--an older man, no less.  Although to kill me, she'd have to somehow squeeze her way in too.  A nervous smile appeared on my reflection.

            "There, that's good enough," Sasha said, looking me over in the mirror.  "Don't worry Alice, you're still pretty.  I'm going to get some clothes for you, okay?"

            "Okay," I murmured.  He slipped out of the dressing room, leaving me to contemplate the hair I'd lost and the new look I had.  Which looked horrible.  But Sasha had said I still looked pretty.  Or was he saying that just to make me feel better?

            Wait.  Still?  I 'still' looked pretty?  So he thought I had looked pretty before?  The thought triggered a blush just as the door opened.

            "Here, I got you a shirt and some pants.  Are you feeling okay?" he asked, looking closely at my blush.

            "Yes."

            He still looked puzzled, but he shrugged and shut the door.  I took my cotton blouse off, relieved at the chance to do so.  After three days of fighting monsters, it was full of sweat and blood and seawater and things I didn't even want to think about.  It should just be burned.  I put the simpler cotton shirt on.  It was a soft blue, which went nicely with my eyes.  I wondered for a brief moment if that was why he'd chosen it, then shook my head.  I was having such silly thoughts.  It was a tad snug around my chest, but then I supposed that was normal, considering it was made for a man to wear.

            Next I kicked off my shoes and removed the leather skirt.  I drew the black pants over my legs.  Again there was a little snugness around the hips, but that was normal, wasn't it?

            "Are you done in there?" Sasha called.

            "Yes."

            "Alright, I'm coming in."  He opened the door and examined me with a critical eye.  I squirmed a bit under his stare.  "You need a jacket."

            "A jacket? Why?"

            "To hide your chest, of course.  Good thing you're not built like Margarete, that'd be impossible to hide."  With that remark for me to mull over, he left to find a jacket.

            It was very true that I wasn't built like Margarete.  Although, I thought as I studied myself in the mirror, it wasn't that I was small or anything.  The spy was simply...well endowed.

            I sized myself up in the mirror.  Were my breasts large, or were they average?  More towards average, I thought, but what exactly was average?

            As I examined my profile, I found another area that bothered me: my posterior.  It was very bad in these pants, which did nothing to conceal its size.  It was much too big.  I'd like it if it was smaller.  And perhaps my chest should be a little bigger.

            Although maybe my body was attractive as it was.  After all, just this morning, Sasha had been feeling me in his sleep...and he'd been a bit slow to take his hands away...

            I turned a bright red as I realized just how sinful my thoughts were.  I shook my head to clear it.  What on earth was I thinking?  I shouldn't even consider those kinds of things.

            The door opened again.  Sasha held a brown trench coat.  "This should work," he said.  Then he paused, his almond eyes taking in my cherry red face.  "Are you sure you're okay?"

            "Yes," I insisted.

            "You're not doing anything in here, are you?" he said teasingly.  My flush became even brighter.

            "No!"

            He chuckled and tossed the trench coat to me.  He closed the door; I was very grateful for the privacy.  I slipped the heavy coat over my shoulders, straightened the collar, and peered into the mirror.  It was very long on me, coming midway down my calves.  It was also a bit wide on my narrow shoulders, and did nothing to hide my chest when open.  I buttoned the trench coat closed and then looked again.  No, that didn't look right either.  I unbuttoned all the buttons from the hips down so more of my pants showed.  My fingers then moved up to the top button.  I gazed at myself intently as I undid each button, showing more of my neck, then my collarbones, a bit more of my chest, and…there.  Now my breasts were noticeable.  I redid that button.  This hid my chest, but didn't make it seem like I was trying to hide anything.

            I wasn't that bad of a boy, I decided.  I certainly looked feminine, but my ragged haircut eased that appearance.  Though, my haircut seemed a bit too orderly now.  I ruffled my hair with my hands, making it even more chaotic, then covered my head with the leather cap.  The mirror's reflection was that of a carefree boy, exactly my opposite.

            I opened the door.  "Finally," Sasha grumbled as he turned to me.  His brown eyes widened as he took in my appearance.  "That's pretty good," he said, "but why aren't you wearing shoes?"  His gaze rested on my bare feet.

            "Because boys don't wear high heels," I said.  I'd look like a fool in them—if I didn't already.

            "Oh.  Right."  Sasha considered this for a moment.  "Give me your shoes."

            I picked up the black high-heeled shoes and handed them to him.  He then walked away, towards the front of the store.  I tried to see what he was moving towards, but then he left my view.  I could hear his voice though, and Margarete's too.  They were arguing quietly, and then their voices rose, while Zhuzhen told both to be more mature.  Finally someone threw something and the voices ceased.  A minute later, Sasha returned with two red marks on his face, a pair of socks and Margarete's combat boots in his hands.  "She threw them at you?" I asked, looking between the marks on his face and the boots.

            "A bit reluctant to part with them," said Sasha, grinning.  I sat on the floor and pulled on the white cotton socks, then the combat boots.  They were a bit big, but then, so were the trench coat and pants.

            "Last thing," Sasha said, and tossed one of the belts to me.  "The caps are too conspicuous, but we should wear the belts."

            Nodding, I did the buckle around my waist and then stood.  Sasha's eyes became slits as he grinned proudly.

            "I knew I could make you look like a guy," he said.  I was not sure whether or not to be insulted by that but let it pass as his pride.  "Let's see what Margarete and Zhuzhen think."

            Just what would they think?  I glanced in the mirror again but was left unsure.  Nervously I followed Sasha back through the rows of clothes, carrying my leather skirt and cotton blouse.  He carried the satchel.

            Margarete was grumbling as she put on my shoes.  Sasha coughed and she looked up, ready to throw my shoes too if he was going to be a nuisance.  Then she noticed me standing shyly behind a clothes rack.  Zhuzhen already had wide eyes at my chopped hair.

            "Hey, they can't see you if you're hiding."  Sasha dragged me by the arm into full view.  Margarete looked me over twice before laughing.

            "I can't believe it.  Well, what should we call you, sir?"

            "Edward?" Sasha suggested.

            I needed a new name too?  "Um, Edward's fine, I guess."

            Margarete stood and circled me, appraising the guise.  She had a smile when she came to my front again.  "I've got to hand it to you Sasha.  It's a good disguise."

            The fighter was practically preening until I elbowed him.  "Don't encourage him Margarete, he's got a big enough ego already."

            "Hey."  Sasha suddenly yawned and only belatedly covered his mouth.  Both Margarete and I winced at his breath.  He had some cleaning up to do.  "God I'm tired."

            "You still have to get new clothes," Margarete said.  "You smell the worst.  I bet your bad breath is what scared the old man."

            He scowled at the blonde spy.  "Just go get your own clothes."

            "Are you alright?" I asked as Margarete left.  It was strange how Sasha hid his fatigue so long—I should've noticed it earlier.

            He nodded.  "Swimming must've worn me out."  He scanned the store and then walked off, leaving me with Zhuzhen.

            I sat down and sighed.  My hand reached up to my hair as I toyed with individual strands, feeling how uneven it was.  It needed to be trimmed before I went home, but for now it helped the roguish appearance.

            "I'm surprised you cut your hair," Zhuzhen said after a moment.

            "I didn't.  Sasha did—and without asking me, too."  I frowned.  "He really ought to learn some manners.  He didn't even say he was sorry!"  Then again, I hadn't been that upset with him.

            The Adept shook his head.  "He needs to learn many things," he mumbled.  He seemed distracted as he tapped his staff on the store's floorboards, as if unsure whether to be pleased or upset.  It reminded me of his grimace and hesitance from the boat.

            "What were you going to tell me earlier?" I asked.  "About Sasha?"

            He shook his head.  "Perhaps later," he said quietly.  "I don't want him to hear."

            "I heard my name," Sasha said, startling me.  He had popped up from behind a row of men's pants.  "What are you saying about me?"

            "Alice was just saying how you needed to learn some manners," Zhuzhen volunteered with a wry grin.

            "You're not still upset about the hair, are you?" Sasha asked me.   "Hey, what do you think of these?"  He held a red shirt with its neck trimmed in black, and a pair of black pants.  The second question was also directed to me.

            "They're nice."

            Sasha pouted.  "Just 'nice'?  You're no fun, Alice."

            "Well, what do you want me to say?" I asked, puzzled.

            "I don't know.  Sexy, maybe."

            This was worthy of a glare.  "Just go change," I told him.

            Once he left, Zhuzhen chuckled.  "He seems to have taken a liking to you."

            The dry observation surprised me.  I turned to Zhuzhen and asked, perhaps a bit too earnestly, "What makes you think that?"

            He laughed.  "Why, do you like him?"

            "Well…I'm not sure," I said.  It didn't seem exactly right to like the person who had kidnapped you.  Now that another person was asking me about it, I felt very embarrassed about my earlier thoughts.  We had only known each other for two days.  He could he like me in that way?  "I probably don't.  He's just attractive is all."

            "Attractive?  Sasha?"  Margarete was back, her blonde hair still in a ponytail.  She was now wearing a tight black dress and a smaller, more elegant jacket, which was a dark blue.  They went with my shoes, although…she still had fishnet stockings.  And the dress was very short—from my seated position I could see her panties through the lace trim.  "He could break a dozen hearts with that face.  And then there's his body."  She grinned and folded her arms beneath her chest.  Her belt slipped on her narrow waist.  "I wouldn't mind a night with him.  As long as he cleaned up first.  What about you, Alice?"

            I spluttered, "No!"  Was she really suggesting…that?  And in front of Zhuzhen of all people!

            A hand clapped on my head and Sasha's remorseful voice said, "But Alice, you can't be a virgin forever."

            I swatted his arm away.  "I'll be a virgin 'til I'm married.  Leave me alone."

            He leaned over me with an upside-down frown.  "Aw…"

            He had changed into his new clothes and did look rather handsome in the red shirt.  It had a loose neck and the fabric fell away from his body as he stood over me, showing hints of a well-defined chest.

            "You know you want to…"

            I scowled at his rude insistence.  Instead of making a response, I stood and walked out of the store.  The shopkeeper made no protest as I left, despite the fact that I was dressed almost head to toe in unpaid clothing—a fact that only occurred to me once I was outside.

            People did look at me as I sulked by the doors, but the looks were only curious glances at the strange foreigner.  Well, at least Sasha had done something good in disguising me.

            He made me so mad sometimes—what exactly did I feel for him?  It was love, or even really like.  It was only a physical attraction.  He was the first good-looking man I had met in while.  On his side, he was probably just trying to get me into a bed with him.  He had an awful lot of nerve.  Why couldn't he simply leave me alone?

            "Hey, Edward," Margarete said.  Oh, right.  'Edward' was my new name.  The spy was attracting a lot more looks than me, but none more than she had been before she changed.  "You're not really mad, are you?"

            It was obvious she thought I shouldn't be—which made me even more upset.  "Well," I said heatedly, "if you must bring up indecent subjects, I would like to be left out of them—but that's Sasha's fault."

            The glass doors were just opening again and Sasha poked his head out.  "I was just joking."

            "I'm sure," I replied dryly.

            He let out a wearied sigh before he started walking away, down the street.  "Come on.  The hotel's this way."

            "The Cypress Hotel," Zhuzhen said.  He was walking between Sasha and us.  His  Adept robes showed a bit of wear, but not so much that he had needed new clothes.  "I hope it hasn't changed too much."

            "So you've been there before?" Sasha asked.  "Must've been a while ago."

            Zhuzhen nodded, though his mind seemed to be away from the conversation.

            Shanghai was such a vibrant city.  There were stalls lining both sides of the street; its vendors were hawking all sorts of things, cloth and little trinkets, souvenirs and artwork, food.  All the smells were making me look forward to lunch despite my large breakfast.

            "I was wondering," Zhuzhen said, "there's a bar near here, just down the street—do you drink, Sasha?"

            "No," Sasha said quickly, "I don't like bars."

            Zhuzhen seemed rather disappointed.  I frowned.  "Sasha, could we talk?"

            Apparently Sasha hadn't expected me to want to talk to him, because he looked askance at me.  I slowed a little behind Margarete as he walked back, letting Zhuzhen lead the way.

            "You don't like bars, or that bar in particular?" I asked in English, looking deep into his dark eyes.

            He sighed.  "I have a feeling I'm going to hate your Demon Eyes.  Look, it's not a big deal.  I just have a quarrel with two of the employees."

            "What'd you do?"

            "To them?  Nothing.  They just don't like me."

            I was silent, letting Sasha know my opinion on this with my expression.  Finally he groaned.

            "They know my profession, and they don't like it very much.  I swear I did nothing to them to start the whole thing."

            "Fine," I said, "But being a criminal is not a profession."

            "Yes miss."  He sighed again and then chuckled.  "Still, I do kind of like getting the girl upset.  She's funny when she's mad."

            So he didn't start it, he just aggravated it.  Like that was so much better.  I shook my head.  Sasha had been right, he was a pain to get along with.

            "Huh?  Where'd that spy go?" he muttered suddenly.  I looked up to see only Zhuzhen in front of us.  Margarete was indeed gone.  The crowd of people was too thick to possibly see her.  "Hey Zhuzhen," he called, getting the Adept's attention, "Where'd Margarete run off to?"

            After his cursory examination of the area, Zhuzhen shrugged.  "She must have gotten lost in the crowd."

            It was a plausible enough explanation, but Sasha didn't buy it for a second.  "Lost, hell," he exclaimed.  "She ran off.  And—goddamn!"  He swore so vehemently that I jumped.  "She still has that memo on us.  Probably went to deliver it."  He kicked the ground viciously and scowled for all it was worth.

            "Do you really think she would?" I asked uncertainly.  Margarete had helped us—and she had promised me the favor of a ride to Zurich—but what if that meant I had to return a favor to her government?  What would they ask for?  If it was anything bad I certainly wasn't going to do it.  Then I remembered what the Japanese Army had done the last time it had met resistance, the two wounded missionaries coming back to me.  Would Margarete's government do the same thing?

            "You finally figure out how deep we're in?" Sasha asked.  He had been watching my expression as it paled.  "I swear, if she did—"

            "Maybe she didn't," I interrupted.  I didn't like how he was getting all worked up about it.  It made me even more nervous; he seemed like he was about to blow his stack and then…  "Maybe she got lost or saw something interesting."

            My weak words didn't help his mood.  His fists were clenched and he looked ready to punch something or someone.  It wasn't a good idea in the bustling marketplace.  He had been stressed during the past days, but had tried to bury it under and not show it to anyone and now…

            "Here," I said.  Reaching into the satchel, I quickly pulled out a Pure leaf and held it out to him.  It was rudely snatched away and consumed.  As Sasha chewed the murderous fury slowly drained from him, and I felt my own anxiety abate.

            Sasha shook his head, his hand rising to cover it.  Was he doing it because his head hurt or to hide himself?  "Okay.  Sorry, lost my head a bit there," he said, grinning broadly.

            I smiled nervously.  No, this wasn't any  better.  He was trying to cover it up again.  "You need to rest."  Maybe it was simply exhaustion from his swim.

            "Yeah.  I know.  Just…just…God!  I never should have listened to that damn witch!"  A scowl had replaced the fragile smile.  It seemed almost as if he was unraveling before our eyes.

            "Perhaps we should take today to rest," Zhuzhen suggested.

            "Sounds good," Sasha mumbled.  "I'm gonna sleep."

            We finally arrived at the hotel.  It was a large one, though not as big as the buildings in Fengtian. The smugglers were waiting for us in the lobby by a large grandfather clock.  The woman dropped the room key into Sasha's hand.  "Room 206," she said, "We're in 207."

            He acknowledged this with only a grunt.  I sighed.  It was no wonder Sasha was stressed out.  There were so many things…Roger Bacon and Dehuai and these smugglers, even Margarete…so many people who were against us or might turn against us.  Even if we got away from one person, there might be another.  I just wanted to forget about all of that and relax for one day.  Was that an unrealistic wish?

            Our room was only a short walk from the stairs.  The smugglers had gotten us a nice room.  It was cheery and welcoming, the sun streaming in through open windows.  There were four beds, two on each side, enough for all of us…and Margarete.  Sasha's first action when he walked in was to toss his things onto one of the beds, including his hat and belt.  He then claimed the bathroom, shutting the door firmly.

            I doffed my cap, then took off both my trench coat and belt.  I sat down on a bed on the right side and removed Margarete's belts.  "Margarete couldn't have run off," I said to Zhuzhen suddenly.  "She likes her boots too much."

            The Adept chuckled and I felt a bit more light-hearted.  Water ran in the bathroom.  I hoped Sasha wouldn't take too long.  I could certainly use a bath.  At least the beds were clean.  After seeing the filthy beds on the boat, clean beds were a wonderful idea.

            "Are you going to sleep, or do you have time for a story?" Zhuzhen asked.

            "Hmm?"

            Zhuzhen sat on the bed next to mine.  "It's about Sasha."

            I rolled over onto my side.  "What you were going to tell me before?"

            He nodded.  "You see, the first time Dehuai tried the Invocation…fifteen years ago, I tried to stop him."

            "And you did?"

            The old man laughed aloud, shaking his head.  "I'm afraid not.  I was a bit too cocky—I underestimated the power Dehuai had gained with his acts of sacrilege.  Instead I was captured.  Instead of killing me outright, he kept me alive for torture.  He always did hate me."

            "Why?" I asked, curious.

            "We trained together, under the same master.  We were both foolish boys with big egos then.  I suppose it was almost natural that we would be rivals."

            It was hard thinking of Zhuzhen ever being egotistical.  Then again, when Zhuzhen was in training must have been thirty, forty…how old was Zhuzhen?  I couldn't place an age on him.  Older than sixty, I was sure, but he was so spry…

            "Anyways, I eventually managed to escape.  I was very weak from the torture, and three of his henchmen overtook me.  We were just outside this hotel, actually…"  He stood up and made his way to the windows.  I followed him and traced his gaze out over the city.  "Wasn't at all like this that day.  The rain was pouring down.  I thought I was going to die then," he said suddenly.  "I was so weak, I tried to stand and then just fell down again.  There was no way I could have fought them off.  Instead I tried to spend my final moments annoying them.  They called Dehuai 'great' and I told them that I was going to die of laughter."

            Imagining this scene brought a smile to my lips.  After how Zhuzhen had poked fun at Sasha's seasickness, I could see him mouthing off to a trio of villains—it was such an amusing idea.  "What happened?"

            "Well, they got riled up over me insulting Dehuai.  Finally they decided to get it over with and kill me.  Then I heard footsteps, two men approaching us.  'Hold it right there.'"

            There was a vague thought in my mind, along the lines of _what does this have to do with Sasha?_  But  I was sure Zhuzhen was getting there, so I kept quiet.

            "It was a Japanese man.  Immediately one of the goons threatened him.  I didn't want others dragged into this, so I asked him to leave.  He said that he could not if they were working for Dehuai."

            "So he knew about Dehuai?"

            Zhuzhen nodded.  "That scared them, and Wugui—one of Dehuai's favorites—demanded to know who he was.  He said it was of little importance to those about to die, and then he changed.  He turned into a great black demon with wings, a proud monster.  In a way it was magnificent.  The men were completely shocked.  I could only stare in amazement; I had heard of fusion, but I had also been told it had been centuries since anyone had seen it…"

            So the man had fused…he must be related to Sasha…just like the masked man…

            "He killed two easily, and it took only a minute or so for him to weaken Wugui to the point where **he** couldn't stand."  Zhuzhen shook his head, his forehead creasing.  "Then he let Wugui go with a message for Dehuai: to live out the rest of his days in fear.  It was amazing to hear him speak; his voice was so soft but all of his words carried a heavy weight.  Wugui used his magic and escaped.  Both the Japanese man and his companion were concerned about my wounds.  Despite my protests, I wound up getting a piggyback ride from the man who'd saved my life.  My face was burning red!  He was an incredible man, and handsome to boot…so much that he almost had me swooning!  Ha!"

            I laughed at the end of the story.  It was so silly compared to the rest of the story, almost absurd.  "Was he really that strong?  He must have been incredible.  And he had fusion, just like Sasha…"  I trailed off as I finally remembered what Zhuzhen had said to Sasha the first night we had met.  It seemed so long ago, but Zhuzhen had asked if Sasha had been taught by his father.  "You don't think he's…Sasha's father…?"

            Zhuzhen nodded.  "You won't find too many who can wield fusion in this world.  Ben did mention his son a few times, but…I just don't know if I should tell him."

            "Doesn't he have a right to know?" I asked.  "It's his father."

            The Adept's dark eyes were averted from me as he nodded again.  "I know.  It's been bothering me ever since we met again in Dalian, but he's not…"  His weary voice died away as he found no words to describe his feelings.  After a few moments, he spoke again, very quietly.  "In a way, I suppose I don't want to know for certain he's Ben's son."

            "He isn't…what you expected, is he?" I asked.  From Zhuzhen's tale, Ben must have been a great man.  Yet, Sasha was a criminal, often selfish and uncouth.  Still…  "That isn't very fair, Zhuzhen.  He's had it very rough, his mother died when he was only a boy."

            "I know."

            There was a melancholy in those words I had not expected.  "Did Sasha tell you?" I didn't think Sasha trusted Zhuzhen that much, but perhaps he had let it slip.

            "No."  He turned away again, to the window.  "Ben gave his life to stop the Valorization.  Both Zhen and I owed him our lives.  The least we could do was offer help to his young wife and son.  So after we managed to set some order to the chaos Dehuai had caused, I traveled to the town they lived in, ready to be the bearer of bad news."  He paused in his narrative, but I knew what was coming.  He had found that Ben's wife, Sasha's mother, was dead.  His long pigtail swished the air as he shook his head morosely.  "When I first saw it, I knew there would be no one to tell.  The houses seemed fine, but there was a feeling of unease stifling the air.  Many people had died, and few of them were at rest.  Then I saw their house.  It was a shambles; there must have been a terrible struggle in there.  Outside, there was a pile of zombies, the villagers changed by a curse.  Dehuai's revenge on Ben had been to pit his family against their friends and neighbors—and even now I'm not quite sure what the outcome was."

            "That's horrible," I breathed.  For vengeance against one man, Dehuai had destroyed an entire village, just as he had Zhaoyang.  I remember our meeting on the boat, his manipulation of Li Li.  He was obsessed, consumed by hatred, just as she had been; and his taint seemed to corrupt all the people he harmed.  Both the villagers of Zhaoyang, and their pets…Li Li…and Sasha.

            Zhuzhen nodded.  "Behind the house, under a tree, I found a grave.  It was marked only with a stick planted in the ground, the words 'rest in peace' crudely carved in.  I wasn't sure who was buried, or who had dug the grave, but I was relieved that there was no troubled spirit.  I searched the village, but it was still a mystery.  There were some footprints in the village, one set small and another large, but there were none but mine leading in or out.  I thought both had died until I saw Sasha's fusion."

            So that meant Sasha had lost both of his parents at the same time.  He had seen his mother murdered by monster that had been neighbors, and his father had disappeared…Koudelka had said he had a maimed heart, and now it seemed all so clear.  It had hurt so much when Father had died, and I had the comfort of knowing my mother was alive.  To have both parents snatched away, at such a tender age…I felt sorry now for all the times I had thought badly of him.  I had judged him without even knowing all the hardships he'd gone through.

            "I might tell him soon…but first I think I'll talk to Zhen."

            "Does he live here?" I asked, wondering who Zhen even was.

            The Adept chuckled.  "He's the owner of the bar.  I was going to show Sasha to him, but then the kid had to say no."

            "Oh…"  Sasha had a quarrel with the employees, but it should be fine if Zhuzhen knew the employer.  Maybe if I told Sasha, he'd see that it was okay to go.  "Well, maybe he'll come around later," I said thoughtfully.

            He nodded.  Leaning over his bed, he rifled through his belongings before reaching a small bag.  He shook the neck open and drew out some money.  Then he idly tossed the pouch back onto the bed.  "I don't intend to be out all that late."

            "That's good.  Just don't come back too drunk."

            We both laughed.  It seemed so improbable that imagining it was humorous.  Leaning on his staff just a tiny bit, Zhuzhen left the hotel room.

            His bag was still lying open.  Perhaps Zhuzhen had not thought much of it, but the gesture was touching.  It seemed a sign of implicit trust in us—that neither Sasha nor I would be dishonest with him.

            Where was Sasha, anyway?  Still in the bathtub?  The water had stopped running, but he hadn't come out yet.  I moved past the table to the bathroom door and knocked twice.  "Sasha, I'd like to take a bath soon," I called.  "Sasha?"

            Water splashed and I heard a groan. "Alice?" Sasha answered, his voice groggy.

            I glared at Sasha--well, I had to settle for the door, but it worked well as a substitute.  "Are you sleeping in the bathtub?" I asked.

            "Sure.  Why not?  It's warm," he mumbled.  Water sloshed inside, but it didn't sound like he was getting out, only shifting his body in the tub.

            "You really shouldn't," I told him.  "What if you drowned in there?"

            There was a sleepy chuckle.  "There's an obituary.  'Died at the age of twenty-four, napping in the tub.'  I'd have to come back as a zombie or something just to die a proper death.  What a bitch the obituary is.  You have to die just right, or you end up looking like a fool forever after."

            I was silent, wondering why he was swearing and going to gallows humor so early in the day.  Was he always like this, even when he was living a normal life?  Had he **ever** lived a normal life?

            "I don't want an obituary.  Do you, Alice?"

            My eyebrows drew together as I puzzled over the odd question.  "I don't really mind."

            "That's good."  His tone carried the suggestion that he would've said it no matter what my answer.  Sasha yawned loudly, perfectly audible through the door.  "I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?"

            "Okay."

            He sighed and sank back down in the tub.  I was sure he was going back to sleep.  At this rate I'd never get a bath.  Oh well.  Maybe when Zhuzhen came back I could ask the Adept to drive him out.

            In the meantime, what to do?  I thought of perhaps catching up to Zhuzhen, but in a reunion of old friends I'd be unwanted.  I couldn't go out alone; Dehuai controlled Shanghai and the Japanese army was still searching for me.  It seemed like I would be spending a lot of time in this room.  When I looked around again, I found a lot more faults with it than I had originally.  Everything in the room was so bland, designed to displease no one but that meant there was nothing unusual, nothing I had not seen elsewhere a thousand times before.  I sat down at the small table and drummed my fingers.  What to do?

            I could reread the tome, but I'd only finished it this morning.  Reading scriptures hadn't done much for me lately...there was no atmosphere of reverence like there was at church and home and with the missionaries...but then I caught myself.  How I felt about my surroundings shouldn't affect my reading; that was a lazy attitude.  So I took myself to task and settled on a bed with my Bible.  
            I leafed through the New Testament, finding nothing that caught my eye.  As I proceeded further back, into the Old Testament, my finger stopped on the book of Ruth.  The story of Ruth was a rather nice one.  It was about loyalty to family and kin.  It was not so much a sermon as other books were, but a heartwarming tale.  I smiled at my selection and began to read.

            As I was reading through the first chapter, the door opened.  I looked up in surprise; was Zhuzhen back already?  But it was Margarete who walked in, grinning.

            "Hey Alice.  I'm so glad we're at Shanghai instead of that backwaters port," she said.  For my part, I liked Dalian better--though small, at least I could walk around it without worrying about armies and warlocks.  "There's so much to see around here."

            "Sasha was really upset that you just walked off," I told her, also a bit upset.  "He thought you'd gone to deliver the memo."

            "What memo?"

            It is rather difficult to reflect on the holy scriptures when someone is trying to tell a bald-faced lie.  I closed my bible, holding my place with my finger, and caught Margarete's light blue eyes.

            She made a quizzical face.  "What?"  After another moment, she sighed.  "How'd Sasha find out?"

            "He saw you writing it yesterday."

            "He's got good eyes," she grumbled.

            "So--is your army coming after us too?"  I tried to make it sound light-hearted, but that was near impossible when I felt so hurt.  Why had she offered me a trip home if she was also going to tell her military that I would be useful to them?  It defeated the purpose.

            The spy winced.  "We don't use those kinds of tactics."

            "But they'll still get us, right?"  
            "We're not doing this to invade others," Margarete said defensively.  "It's research so we can protect ourselves."

            "So even if you got in a war, I wouldn't be pulled into it?"

            The spy opened her mouth but then shut it and looked away.  "Fine."  From her new jacket she drew a piece of paper and dropped it on the bed.  "There's no one in Shanghai, I was going to deliver it in Changchun.  But you can shred it if you want.  That's the only copy."

            I searched her face carefully and then smiled.  "That's good.  But save it for Sasha, he'll probably want to see it himself."

            "Sure.  Where is he?"

            I nodded to the bathroom and returned to the bible.  The spy rapped on the door.  "Sasha?" she called loudly.

            "He's probably still asleep."

            "Asleep?" I heard the handle rattle and looked up to see Margarete jiggling it until the door popped open. She stepped inside.

            _What is she doing? Best not think about it. Reverent atmosphere, mind on God..._

            "Fucking hell!"  There were a torrent of swears following the first exclamation, and many splashes from the bathroom.  "Alright, alright, I'm up—ow!"  There had been a loud snapping noise.

            "That's for getting me all wet."

            _You're supposed to have the spirit when you read the scriptures... _ Still, one part of my mind was on the sounds from the other room.  The snapping sounds continued, and each one brought yells and curses from Sasha.

            I tried hard to continue the story of Ruth in a spirit of reverence, but then the door banged open, ending both my thought process and the last shred of patience.  Finally it was too much and I looked up to yell at them, "Would you two behave--!"

            I stopped, my mouth hanging slightly open as I realized what was in front of me. Sasha had run from the bathroom to escape the spy—but he had neglected clothing.  The wiry fighter stood in front of me, naked as a jaybird. He was facing me and looked quite surprised.

            "What'd you let her in for?" he demanded.

            I was still too flabbergasted to make a proper response when Margarete snuck up on him.  Twirling a wet towel, she gave Sasha one last whip on his behind.  The fighter growled, wrenched the towel from her hands, and gave the spy a whip to make her shriek, all the while giving me a full view of his behind.  He then wrapped the towel around his waist and returned to the bathroom.

            _That...completely killed the spirit_.  I tried hard to continue reading the story of Ruth, but my mind couldn't stay on it.  I sighed, defeated, and closed the bible. _I'm not going to be able to read while those two are around..._

My shoes lay haphazardly on the floor.  Margarete was lounging on the bed opposite mine, a broad smile on her face.  "He's got a nice package."

            If she had expected me to reply, I disappointed her.  I lay down as the water began to drain from the tub.

            Sasha's footsteps, light on the carpet, were heard as he reentered the room.  It seemed rather fast for getting dressed.  Was he still nude?  I directed my eyes to the white ceiling, unwilling to check.  He couldn't be that uncivilized, but at the same time I didn't want to risk it.

            "Where'd you go?" he asked Margarete bluntly.

            "There was this really great shop.  I got distracted."  There was silence for a moment.  Sasha did not believe her, but then again, he was always skeptical, and he was justified in this instance.  "I'm telling the truth, you know.  The memo's on Alice's bed.  Feel free to make confetti with it."

            "You've got another one," he said.

            "Nope.  Like I told Alice, only copy."

            "Alice?"

            "She's telling the truth," I said, keeping both eyes fixed on the ceiling.

            His footsteps came towards me.  I thought he was coming to get the memo, but soon he was looming over me.  The red shirt hung a bit damp on his body, and his hair was still wet.  "Something wrong?" he asked.

            I cautiously glanced down.  He had pants on.  "I thought you might still be undressed."

            "Oh.  What, are you trying to preserve your virgin eyes?"  Sasha grinned.  He picked up the memo, examined it critically and then ripped it into tiny little pieces.  I looked on as each little bit fell to the ground, like snowflakes.  That was it then, we would trust Margarete.

            "I catch you writing another and there'll be hell to pay."

            Okay.  So Sasha wouldn't trust Margarete, but as long as she didn't try it again, everything would be fine.

            "Where's the old goat?" Sasha asked once finished.  The memo was in at least fifty different pieces on the red carpet.

            Margarete shrugged.  "Dunno.  I passed him in the lobby, but all he told me was he'd be gone for a while and what room we were staying in."

            "Zhuzhen went to the bar," I told them.  "You should've gone with him, Sasha.  He's friends with the owner, so you shouldn't have gotten in any trouble."

            He seemed very surprised, his brown almond eyes widening.  "Really?  Must be a different bar then," he muttered.  "But in this area?"

            I was confused by what that remark meant.  What did the location have to do with it?  "Well, it's owned by a man named Zhen."

            "Zhen?"  Now Sasha was frowning.  "That was his name?"

            "Yes…"

            He groaned.  "When's the last time Zhuzhen was in Shanghai?"

            "Fifteen years, it sounded like."  An uneasy feeling was rising in my stomach.  Had Zhuzhen chosen the same bar Sasha knew?  Did Sasha have a good reason for avoiding it?  "What's wrong?"

            Sasha was already heading for the door.  "The bar changed ownership a few years back.  Get dressed."

            I put on the trench coat and slipped on the boots.  "It did?" I asked, jumping up and following him.  The Shooting Star Tome caught my eye; it sounded like I might need it.  I picked it up.  Margarete shut the door as we left.

            "Yeah, to one of Dehuai's goons."

            My eyes widened as I realized what that meant.  Dehuai wanted Zhuzhen dead, and his henchmen could take him unawares and…

            Sasha was walking faster and Margarete and I hastened our steps until we burst out of the hotel doors.  It was noon and the streets were packed with people.  I quickly fell behind Sasha and Margarete, who both slipped through the crowd easily.

            They kept disappearing from my sight and I panicked.  "Wait!" I called, struggling through the crowd.  "Wait—ow!"

            Another girl had knocked into me, or I into her, and we'd both been going so fast that we were now on the ground.  I stood quickly and offered her a hand with an automatic apology, "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

            Sasha was weaving his way back.  "Come on, hurry up," he called as the girl took my hand and stood.

            "I'm fi—"  She stopped suddenly as she saw Sasha standing at my side.  Her dark eyes narrowed at both of us and without saying anymore the Chinese woman walked away.

            "Quihua, you're never going to get a guy if you're always being a bitch to them," Sasha said.  Surprisingly, the woman simply brushed off the rude remark.  "Did you come from the bar?"

            "I don't have time for you," she muttered.

            This was not the right answer.  Sasha grabbed her arm along with a fistful of the light blue fabric she wore and pulled her back.  "You came from the bar, didn't you?  Is there an old man getting the tar beaten out of him right now?"

            "Yes, and I'm going to get his friends now, so—"

            "Um, we're his friends," I interrupted.

            "You expect me to believe that?" she snapped.

            "Forget her," Margarete yelled when she neared us, "Forget her, let's go!"

            Sasha shook his head and let go of the woman.  "Fine."  He turned and led the way to the bar again.  It wasn't long though before I heard hurried footsteps behind us.  The woman was following us.

            We ran down steps into a lower street; there Sasha turned right into an old building, the bar.  Inside the air was smoky and the lighting dim.  Two kappas lay on the floor, both dead, and Zhuzhen was kneeling on the floor, wounded.  I ran past the grey-haired man who was observing the scene and knelt by Zhuzhen.

            The Adept's body shook with each shallow breath he took.  His pupils were dilated and, when I touched his arm, his skin was clammy.

            I felt a pressure on my head and heard a chuckle as my cap was removed.  Turning, I saw my cap was held aloft by a hand attached to an arm nearly a meter long.  The strange limb belonged to a Chinese man, dressed in red and adorned with jewelry, and was slowly retracting to a more normal length.  "So this is the key?  The old man, the traitor and the key, all in my hands...this is a fortunate day."

            Sasha chuckled.  "Funny, I'd say this was a bad day for you.  And what's this 'traitor' business?  I never pledged loyalty to your master."

            The man smirked unpleasantly.  "Say whatever you want.  You'll die right here."  he tossed my leather cap aside idly and began to crack each of his knuckles.  It was a disgusting sound.  "You are a fool.  Roger Bacon was quite displeased about what you did to him.  Now you've lost his protection."

            _Sasha...was protected by Roger Bacon?_ I wondered in amazement.  I was astonished by two things: the Roger Bacon would help someone, and that anyone would dare turn against him.

            The fighter said nothing to deny it.  He only smirked.  "I'm not the one who needs protection here, Wugui."  He turned his head to look at me.  "What are you waiting for, Alice?  Heal the geezer before he croaks."

            "Oh, right," I said.  With a Cure spell Zhuzhen's skin felt a bit warmer and he took deeper breaths.  Still, there was a very powerful Dark magic in him, which kept him weak.  I continued to heal him until a bright light filled the room; I looked behind myself to see Sasha had fused into the tiger form.  There were gasps of surprise from both the older man and Quihua, but strangely, neither were afraid.  Had they seen Sasha fuse before?

            The tiger attacked Wugui with a viciousness that surprised me, keeping my eyes fixed on him as he made his first attacks.  Sasha was trying to maim Wugui...maybe even kill him!  I felt slightly sick as I recognized the murderous intent within him.  Was it necessary...?  Why did he have that emotion?

            I didn't want to think about it.  I healed Zhuzhen one last time and felt the Dark curse release him.  He looked up at me wearily.  "Alice.  Thank goodness.  Quihua found you?"

            I nodded.  "Don't worry.  Sasha's taking care of it."

            Exhausted, he lifted his head and took notice of the fight behind me.  He chuckled, leaning into me as I lifted both of us to our feet.  "It's almost like fifteen years ago," the Adept said quietly.

            "Uncle Zhuzhen," Quihua said cautiously, "do you know him...?"  She pointed a rather shaky finger at the transformed man.

            Zhuzhen nodded.  "I'll introduce you...once this is over..."  He winced, still in some pain, and I allowed him to lean more on me.

            Quihua made no reply.  She had an extremely skeptical expression that didn't suit her.  The grey-haired man, who seemed to be a relative--there was a bit of a resemblance--bore an even uglier expression, that of hatred.  I wasn't sure if it was for Wugui or Sasha.

            Sasha had drawn blood; Wugui was clutching his shoulder, blood flowing over his numerous rings.  The tiger was growling as he circled Wugui, down on all fours; Sasha was behaving almost like a real tiger.  There was such a malevolence in him.  How far would he go?  He was bleeding as well, but he seemed more interested in inflicting wounds than healing his own.  Wugui's arms stretched foward as he reached to hit the tiger.

            Sasha darted past them, clawing Wugui's chest before being struck away.  It was a momentary delay, however--in the next second he had rolled back onto his feet and sprung.  His front paws landed on Wugui's chest, slamming the man down to the floor.   His jaws found the throat and Wugui gagged as each incisor pinched and then began to pierce the skin.  And Sasha only continued to tighten his hold.  He was going to kill him!   "Sasha!" I screamed, horrified at how he was killing--slowly, cruelly, without any remorse.  Even a beast would not kill this way.  Sasha did not react to my call, too intent on butchering the man.  "**Cure**!" I said, hoping he could not ignore magic being used on him.

            The tiger released the man's neck to snarl at me.  His blood red eyes glowed in his desire to slaughter.  I found myself shivering and held my bible closely for comfort.  "Sasha," I said, "that's enough.  You beat him.  He can't hurt us."  The murderous feline growled and turned his eyes back to Wugui, who was trembling with fear.  My magic had inadvertently healed his throat, but if Sasha was quicker about ripping it out next time... "Sasha!" I yelled.  "Get off him!"

            He snarled at me again, this time not so much angry as contemptuous.  He went further and raised his clawed hand, bringing the lethal paw to rake across the man's face; only then, with Wugui screaming in pain, did he get off and disembody.  Wugui rolled over, hands cradling his head, protecting the raw skin on his face.  His jewelry was both yellow and red after being coated in his blood.

            "You're goddamned lucky she's here," Sasha told the wounded man.  Though now human, Sasha's voice was still a growl; his eyes were a mix of his normal brown and the tiger's red, like dried blood.  His whole body trembled with the violence that had barely been contained.  "Because I don't think anyone else would've objected to me ripping you apart, piece by piece...that's what you deserve after what you did to me."

            Wugui's voice was muffled by his hands, but he shook his head until Sasha lifted him and slammed his body against the bar's counter.  An empty glass was knocked off and shattered on the floor.

            I looked at the others, to see if they would've stopped Sasha had I not, if they cared about the violence he was still showing.  Zhuzhen seemed saddened, almost ashamed by what Sasha's actions.  Quihua and the man both had torn expressions, but none of the emotions I saw in them reassured me any.  Margarete watched with a neutral expression.

            "Don't play dumb," Sasha said in a low voice.  Then, suddenly, he dropped the man onto one of the barstools.  "You really don't remember?  I'll help jog your memory.  Remember when Dehuai lost half of his body to a harmonixer?  He was screaming bloody murder even after he killed the guy."  Standing to his left, I could see his wide smile; but his eyes were nearly closed, making his entire countenance artificial.  "Wanted to kill both his wife and his son, but he was too weak to even get up from a bed.

            "So who does he send but his right-hand man?"

            Wugui swallowed, his Adam's apple riding up and down with the motion.

            "Did you ever see the son?"

            A shake of the head was the only answer Wugui would give.

            "No, you didn't," Sasha said, "because you decided to just turn innocent people into zombies and let them do your dirty work.  But you should've.  They didn't do the job right.  I'm still alive."

            "That--that wasn't--"

            "Bullshit," Sasha told him. He was still smiling, though the look in his eyes told me he'd like nothing better than to strangle the man.   "I know you did.  But…Alice doesn't want to see blood."  His dark eyes darted to me for only a second, but they showed clearly he was not happy with me.  "That's fine. I'll let you go for now. You can go tell your master that he has two ways to die: he can either wait for me or do it himself.  And if he waits for me he'll be dying very, very slowly."

            His face still shielded, Wugui disappeared without giving any response. Sasha stared at where he had been before sagging forward, holding himself up on the bar counter. Then he folded his arms and rested his head on them, turned away from me. His black shoe tapped on the floor a moment before he swore and pushed away.

            "What's wrong?"

            "I've got that bastard's blood in my mouth."  With an easy-going manner of familiarity he walked behind the counter and picked up a beer bottle.  Almost absently one hand reached for a glass while the other smashed the bottle against the counter, breaking off its neck.  He poured himself a glass and downed a gulp as he sat on a stool.  The short sleeves of his red shirt showed bruises on his arms, but he didn't seem to mind them.

            There was a bit of an awkward silence as Sasha drank.  I was surprised still at how violent Sasha had been, and how the anger clung to him even now...though the anger was understandable if Wugui had been responsible for his mother's death...I hated Roger Bacon for killing my father...I bit my lip as I remembered Wugui's words.

            "Sasha.  Why is Roger Bacon protecting you?"

            Over the half-full glass, his eyes flickered to me, now back to their normal brown.  He lowered the glass, his fingers drumming its surface.  "Was," he corrected me with a frown.

            "Why?" I persisted.

            "That is rather unusual..." Zhuzhen said softly, "to be under the protection of such a powerful warlock..."

            "So spill the beans, kiddo," said Margarete.  Contrary to the general sobriety, she had a slight grin, even a smirk.

            Sasha shook his head.  "You guys should already know, I was working for him a little while--"

            "A little while, try ten years," Quihua interrupted.  Folding her arms resolutely, the Chinese woman turned to Zhuzhen, who was now leaning on his staff rather than my shoulder.  "Uncle Zhuzhen, I don't know what kind of lies he's told you, but this is not a man you want to associate with--"

            "Quihua, did anyone ask your opinion?" Sasha said loudly.

            "Ten years?"

            He sighed and downed the remains of the glass and began on a second.  "Yes."

            "And how long have you known about—what Wugui did?" Zhuzhen asked carefully.

            Sasha smiled humorlessly.  "Fifteen years."

            "Then you…you really are Ben's son, aren't you?"

            The grey-haired man had finally spoken.  I had not expected his voice to sound so weak though.  I looked at the man, with his shoulders sunk down in an unconscious acknowledgment of defeat.  Though he was certainly younger than Zhuzhen, his eyes were much wearier.

            Quihua shook her head.  "How can you say that, Father?  How could he be Ben's son—"

            "I am," Sasha said.  "Though I wouldn't say he was much of a father."

            She turned back to him, her ire rising.  "Ben loved his wife and son very much."

            The half-Russian, half-Japanese man snorted lightly.  He toyed with his glass and watched the liquid inside swirl.  "He was a cold man," he said in a quiet voice.

            His eyes were hidden as he looked down.  There was a note of sadness tingeing his voice, though he hid it well.  I was confused between Sasha and Quihua and Zhuzhen; their opinions of Sasha's father were at odds with each other.  I was more inclined to believe Zhuzhen, but Sasha was his own son…

            "Alright," Zhuzhen said, gripping his staff.  "There are some things we obviously need to straighten out.  Why don't we go back to the hotel and talk this over?"

            It sounded like a good idea.  He was probably hoping that the walk would calm everyone down, and allow people to think before they said anything rash.

            "Alright," Quihua said, a bit reluctant but respectful of Zhuzhen's wishes.  She walked out, followed by Margarete.  Zhuzhen and Zhen left, close together.  They were talking, but not about Sasha.  Zhuzhen seemed to be asking how Zhen had been, his brow wrinkled with concern.

            I was starting to walk to the doors, but then I realized that Sasha wasn't following.  I turned back to see him still sitting.

            "Aren't you coming?" I asked.  My voice had a slight edge to it that I regretted immediately.  "I...I have some questions to ask you."

            He smiled.  As I walked back to him, it struck me that his eyes had a dreamy look, infused with a soft amber glow.  Was he drunk?  "You're mad."

            It was such a frank observation.  He didn't mind.  He didn't care who was mad at him.  "Maybe a little," I admitted, "but it's more because I'm confused."  He shrugged at my explanation and drained his glass in one final swig.  "I want to know why you've done what you have."

            Sasha chuckled, his long dark bangs falling across his eyes.  "That's a tough question.  I don't know why myself.  I thought I could let it go, but all that witch had to do was taunt me and I--"

            "You rescued me."  So that was it.  His only motivation had been revenge.  He'd been baited by Koudelka into helping me.  I felt a surge of disappointment before I forced myself to smile.  "Well, we'd better catch up to the others."

            My captor—all illusions of him being anything else to me had vanished—my captor followed me back, always two steps behind.  By the time we got to the hotel, everyone else was waiting for us in the plain hotel room.

            "What took you guys so long?" Margarete asked.  Her eyes took in my face and her smile faded a bit.

            "Sorry.  We got distracted."  I sat on my bed and lay down.  I didn't bother to remove my trench coat; the cloth was warm and comforting in this chilly atmosphere.  At the center of it was Sasha, currently lounging with his feet on the table.

            Zhuzhen cleared his throat, signaling he was about to speak.  "Alright, let's start from the beginning.  Alice, Margarete, this is Zhen, and his daughter Quihua.  Zhen and I helped Colonel Ben Hyuga defeat Dehuai fifteen years ago...but it seems you already knew about them," he said to Sasha.

            The fighter nodded, leaning back in his chair.  "Yeah.  Didn't know about you, but I guessed after what you said about my father teaching me."

            "And, if you know so much," Zhuzhen said, his hand twisting on the top of his staff, "why did you work for Dehuai?  Revenge?"

            Sasha slowly shook his head.  "No.  I did because I was ordered to."

            "By Roger Bacon?"

            "And how long have you been working for **him**?" I interrupted.  It was rude, but I couldn't wait any longer--I had to know.  "Under his protection?"

            With a sigh, the fighter answered, "Fifteen years...ever since he saved my life."

            This was apparently news to everyone; even Zhen and Quihua were surprised.  "He saved you?" I repeated, disbelievingly.

            He frowned darkly.  "Yes, saved me."

            "And that's why you serve him?" Zhuzhen asked.

            "Yes."

            I bit my lip, unsure what to think.  Fifteen years ago...he would have only been nine or ten years old, recently orphaned, having seen his mother die in a horrible manner.  Alone and numbed by both the violence and his grief, still an impressionable child...he might have let Bacon use him because he was grateful, and because he had no other alternatives.  And now, fifteen years later, he continued serving Roger Bacon because it was the only way of life he knew.

            Oh God.  Without realizing it I had gone back to feeling sorry for him.  It was unbelievable how I could go through a whole range of emotions for him: from like to dislike to shock and horror; to disgust and anger, and then to pity.  All in one day, and it was only the afternoon!  I lay back on my bed and sighed, letting the others ask him questions.  I wished I could make up my mind on him; but even though I knew more about him, he was as mysterious as he had been the first night.

            "So, he was the one who killed the monsters…"

            Sasha shook his head at the assumption.  "I did.  But after that I was hurt and weak.  Roger Bacon came that night.  He told me what had happened, offered me shelter with him."

            "And you accepted?" I said softly.

            The fighter laughed loudly.  It filled the room, strong and boisterous, but I couldn't see any humor.  "I told him he was a liar and God thrusts all liars down to hell."  I directed my eyes to him to see his inelegant shrug.  "Something my mom had taught me once.  I couldn't believe my father was dead too."  Sasha's eyes were focused on the ceiling as he leaned further back, almost knocking his own chair over.  "He told me I could wait there as long as I wanted, my father was never coming back.  I was determined to prove him wrong, so I took him up on his offer.

            "I stayed there," Sasha said, "maybe a week or so.  Less, probably, but the days seemed so long…"  His voice trailed off or a moment.  "Bacon returned two or three times with the same offer, but I always refused.  I became sick from all the decaying matter around me…I started having nightmares, dreams where the maggots eating mom devoured me."

            My stomach lurched at this description; I turned away from him, glad I was lying down.  The plain off-white walls were no help though.  They acted as a blank screen onto which my imagination could project the horrible image.  It was so awful to think of the flesh's decay after death.

            "In the end I collapsed outside the house.  For a long time…I think I was hallucinating," he said in an uncertain voice.  "I came out of it to find Roger Bacon next to me, taking care of me."

            I could tell from his tone he was smiling, he was grateful; he was indebted to Roger Bacon.  A loose thread in my pillow caught my eye and I fingered it, pulling it tight and then letting it go to see the string coil about itself.

            Sasha wasn't lying.  He wasn't completely evil…maybe not evil at all, but misguided.  But could we continue on before, now that I knew his feelings toward Roger Bacon?  Towards the man that murdered my father, he felt compassion.  It simply didn't make sense.

            "He probably did it only because you were a harmonixer," Zhuzhen remarked.

            "Probably," Sasha said, "but it's more than I can say for either of you."  The venom in his tone made me flinch, even though it was not directed at me.  "If you held my father in such high regard, maybe you should've done something for his family."

            "They did!" I protested, sitting up.  Startled by my outburst, everyone turned to me.  "Zhuzhen was coming to tell you the news…but you were already gone when he got there."

            "It took a whole week?" he responded cynically.  His dark eyes were hard, dams against the bitterness he held.  And as I remembered my own feelings, the dark thoughts I had once had for Father Doyle, I could not fault Sasha for hating Zhuzhen or Zhen.  I only wished he would see that they had meant to help…

            "Dehuai's first Invocation set off earthquakes and fires.  There were so many dead and wounded…we thought our first priority should be to tend to the wounded and the souls not at peace."  Zhuzhen pressed his lips together and lowered his head.  Every wrinkle was etched into his face, the age spots bold against his yellow skin.

            "We thought Dehuai was dead," Zhen said, his voice little more than a whisper.  "We didn't think you or your mother were in danger...if we had known..."

            The table rattled as Sasha's fist slammed into it.  "What the hell do you sound sorry for, old man?" he challenged Zhen.  "You've always despised me.  You looked down on me because that was the only way to hold onto a scrap of your pride."  His laugh was harsh and biting.  "Protect us, save us?  Is that what you would've done?  You couldn't even keep your own daughter from being Wugui's slave."

            He had struck an open wound.  Zhen flinched as though Sasha had hit him, his wearied eyes full of pain, his hand reaching up to his chest in an unconscious movement.  Quihua, on the other hand, was not hurt but outraged.

            "How dare you!" she exclaimed.  Sasha snorted, settling back in his chair.  She opened her mouth, ready to shout at him more, but then thought better of it.  The woman folded her arms and looked out the windows.  Fine grey clouds were forming over the buildings.  "Did we need any more reason to hate you when you **chose** to serve Dehuai?  You know yourself how cruel he is.  And that warlock is not exactly clean either."

            It was a massive understatement.  Roger Bacon was entangled in so many scandals--murder, theft, and heresy the chief among them.  What kind of schemes had he dragged Sasha into?

            Though I was trying to remain impartial towards Sasha, it was difficult for me.  On one part I pitied him for all the hardships he had endured, but at the same time I agreed with Quihua that the mere association with Roger Bacon was reprehensible--and Sasha had worked for him!

            "What are you saying, Quihua?"

            Margarete chuckled.  "She's saying that if you sleep with dogs, you'll rise up with fleas."

            There was certainly annoyance in Sasha's eyes as he glanced at her.  The spy sensed he was becoming more irritable and only laughed.  She felt no trepidation about him as everyone else did.  She wasn't tied to Sasha like we were.  The blonde was merely a commentator in this scene.

            "I'm saying that if you're half decent you should quit working for him now!"  Quihua sat down at the table opposite Sasha and reached out to him in a beseeching manner.  "You're working for him because he saved your life, right?  Isn't fifteen years long enough to pay back the debt?"  Inwardly I was applauding her.  She was right.  Fifteen years was a long enough time.  Couldn't Sasha consider the debt of his life paid and leave Roger Bacon?

            "That's part of the reason I work for him," Sasha said.  He seemed to be getting tired of answering questions about Bacon.  "I also work for him because we have the same goal."

            I stiffened and then raised myself up on my elbow.  "The same...?" I asked, but it was too soft for anyone to hear.  What kind of goals would a warlock like Roger Bacon have?

            A cloud stole across the sun and the light in the room dimmed.  Zhuzhen and Zhen stood with their backs to the windows, Zhen's eyes hovering somewhere between Sasha and the red carpet.

            Quihua's arms rested on the table.  She was staring at Sasha with her dark, narrow eyes.  "And what's your goal?"

            "Something that will bring everyone joy," the fighter answered mysteriously, smiling softly.  There were still traces of an amber glow in his eyes.  Margarete gave me a sideways glance, her eyebrow raised.  I shrugged, my attention fixed on Sasha.  He was deliberately being vague, but he was not lying.  He believed it was not a selfish goal.  But why would Roger Bacon use such awful methods if his intentions were benevolent?

            "Even if it is for good, would the results be worth the harm he's done?" Zhuzhen said, echoing my thoughts.

            "If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be helping him, now would I?" Sasha asked, his voice growing louder with each word.  "I'm not ashamed of anything he's done!"

            I sat up, staring at Sasha.  He was ashamed of nothing?  "...not even Rouen?" I asked quietly.

            He met my gaze evenly, his arms folded against his chest.  There was no doubt or hesitance in his eyes.  I knew what he would say.  But still I waited for him to say it.  Maybe he would rethink, finally realize how evil Roger Bacon was.  How evil the things he had done were.

            He could at least pretend to.

            "I'm not ashamed," Sasha repeated in a low voice, "of anything he's done.  He did what he needed to."

            I was overcome with both anger and disgust.  Roger Bacon killed my father, and Sasha thought it was perfectly fine.  It had just been a task to be taken care of.  To save my life, my father had sacrificed his own and Sasha didn't care one bit.  Again I wondered if Sasha had ever killed.  I felt sick to my stomach and then I stood, taking my book up in my arms.

            "Then, one of us will be leaving today," I told him, breathing very quickly.  I couldn't quite fill my lungs with air.  "I'll let you decide who it is."

            "Alice," Margarete said, "What's wrong?"  I shook my head and she turned to Sasha.  "Hey, kid.  What the hell did you do?"  Her  voice had turned cold.

            "He didn't do anything," I said.  "We just can't work together."  As I spoke I almost felt anger at myself.  Why was I still defending him?  Sasha might have been kind to me.  He wasn't a bad person.  But he was so warped and twisted, unmistakably Roger Bacon's work.  "When you've decided, I'll be in the lobby."

            There were small tears at the corners of my eyes, but I managed to keep them down until I was out in the hallway.  Zhuzhen's terse voice demanded to know what had happened in Rouen.  That was right, I hadn't told either Zhuzhen or Margarete about it.  I had rarely talked about it with anyone.

            Rain pitter-pattered against the glass panes as I walked down the large hall, with its ornate, impersonal décor.  Every step seemed to encompass an immeasurable distance.

            Which would Sasha choose?  Would he leave, or would I have to go?  I shook my head.  The answer was obvious.  I had meant to give him a free choice—hadn't I?—but everyone in the room was angry with him, and Margarete and Zhuzhen both knew I was in more danger than he was.  Sasha would leave.  Inwardly I was relieved that I didn't have to go.  I'd be hopelessly lost in an hour.

            "Um, Alice?"

            I turned to see Quihua, who had followed me to the lobby.  We stood eye-to-eye for only a second before she looked down.

            "Are you alright?"

            "I'm fine," I told her.  "It's nothing for you to worry about."

            She looked up at me and for the first time I realized how painfully shy she was.  Quihua was embarrassed; strange considering how vocal she had been against Sasha, or maybe she was because of it?  "Alright.  Father sent me to get something, so…"  She nodded to herself and then pushed through the entrance's glass doors.

            I looked around the lobby and sat in a wide blue armchair.  My small body sank into its cushions and I curled up into one corner so I was a ball of brown trench coat.  The grandfather clock chimed the hour's last quarter.

            What should I say when Sasha came down?  When he told me his decision?  I could simply accept his decision and say goodbye.  We didn't have to talk about what had happened.  We would never see eye-to-eye anyway, so there was no point in talking about anything.

            And what if he tried to persuade me to stay with him?  At the very thought my lips curled back in disgust.  If Sasha said even one word to that effect I was going to hurt him.  I wasn't sure what exactly I would do, but I was certainly not going to listen to him anymore.  All that had ever done was confuse me.

            There was a conversation in the lobby, though I could hear only one person.  Curious I turned my head to rest on the chair's arm and saw a Chinese businessman walking away from a dejected pedler.  I smiled at the odd hat he wore, it looked like an upside-down basket.

            By and by I began to wonder if Sasha was ever going to come down.  Though I had thought his decision was obvious, it was taking him a very long time to make it.

            Quihua came back as the new hour was announced.  Her slender fingers cupped something silver--it looked like jewelry.  She glanced to me and smiled hesitantly before heading up the stairs.  I buried my head in my arms and curled up even further.  It occurred to me that I must look very childish and that I had my feet on furniture.  But they were new shoes, so it should be alright.

            There was a gusty sigh and I looked up to see Sasha.  He walked towards me, a silver chain swaying by his legs with each step.  My eyes were drawn to his pants pocket, which held a small cross.  Only the base of the cross was fully in the pocket.

            Sasha saw where my attention was.  He stopped and grabbed the loop, dangling the cross in front of me.  "Quihua just gave it to me," he explained.  "It was my mother's.  She gave it to my father each winter...it was supposed to keep him safe."

            The cross's design was simple, letting the beauty of its material testify of its value.  It had a warm and gentle spirit that must have been bestowed upon it by the woman who sacrificed her life for her son.

            "It's lovely."

            He extended his arm so the cross was closer to me; it was just above my clasped hands.  "Do you..." he asked slowly.

            I raised my eyes to look directly at him.  Was he really giving me his mother's cross?  What sort of bribe was this?  He winced and withdrew, stuffing the necklace back into his pocket.  "Never mind."

            "Did you make your decision?"  I felt uneasy now as I thought of the offer almost made.  How could he give away such a precious memento?

            Sasha laughed, a hollow sound.  "That eager to get rid of me?  ...Can't say I blame you.  You must hate my guts."

            I shook my head and felt a bit of surprise at how much freer the motion was with short hair.  "No.  But I don't understand you, and I don't see how I ever will."

            "Why not?"

            My fists clenched in my lap, grabbing the thick fabric of the trench coat.  "Why not?  How can you condone a murder?"  I asked him, in English.  "When you saw your own **mother** murdered...how can you accept my father's death as justified?"

            "Isn't death nothing more than a reunion with your Heavenly Father?" Sasha asked.  "Your father should be content with where he is."

            Though true, his words struck me as wildly absurd and inappropriate.  He had said something similar in Zhaoyang.  I should've known then.  I should've known the moment I met him.  "Maybe he is happy.  But what about me and my mother?" I demanded.  "What about the people who get left behind?  What're we supposed to do?  I--" I dropped my head onto my knees; I was not crying, but I felt I might soon with the large lump in my throat.

            "Do you miss him?"

            "Of _course_ I do, you--you--"

            "Do you want to see him?"

            Something in his tone stopped my vain search for an adequate insult.  I raised my head.

            Sasha was regarding me with his head tilted to one side.  His eyes had the curious amber glow again, giving the same glazed over look as before.

            "Do you?" His finger touched my neck and ran lightly along the cross's golden chain, barely skimming my skin.  What was he suggesting?

            "Stop joking, Sasha," I muttered.

            He lifted up my cross and tugged on it, pulling me forward slightly.  "You're a righteous Christian.  You're not scared of death at all, are you?" he said quietly.  His eyes began to shift again, a sort of orange-ish color.

            "Sasha, stop it," I said, my voice shaking a bit.  "Sasha."  He didn't seem to be listening.  He was examining my father's cross; once done, his orange-red eyes moved to my neck.  Their focus unnerved me.  Was he going to--kill me?  Right here?  In that instant I had a vision of myself in the chair, my eyes wide and glassy, my neck bent where it shouldn't be.

            "Don't you want to see your Father?" his melancholy voice asked.

            I grabbed him by the sides, rising out of the chair, and shook him.  His eyes were a deep red, such an inhuman color, and I stared in them, wondering what had possessed him.  "Sasha!  Stop it, Sasha--you're scaring me!"

            He shoved me back hard and I winced as my shoulder rammed into the chair's frame.  My tome lay under me and I seized it for a defense before turning to Sasha.

            The hand over his face obscured one eye, but the other was uncovered: a pure brown, dilated and filled with an inexplicable horror.  He turned his face aside, obviously unsettled by what had just happened, and rushed through the doors before I could recover from my own shock.

            The glass door closed and the Shooting Star Tome fell to the ground as I shuddered with relief.  I had no idea what had brought that from Sasha.  I was only glad that he had left.

            "Are you hurt, miss?"

            The low voice came from the peddler, whose body cast a shadow over me as he stood in front of the chair.

            "I'm fine.  My shoulder's a bit sore is all," I reassured him.  Then, with a start, I remembered that I was supposed to be in disguise.  "How'd you know I was…?"

            "Never heard a boy shout like that."

            I turned a deep red, embarrassed at how obvious it was.  My voice had always been very light, with a tendency to become high-pitched if I was upset enough.

            The man chuckled and then walked away to leave me be.  As I looked at the items he carried it occurred to me that Sasha had not had anything with him other than the cross.  Had he forgotten his possessions?  With his bizarre behavior it was certainly a possibility.

            I heard a radio turn on, not yet tuned to a station.  As the static continued I looked around, searching for the source.

            […hurt him…]

            My eyes widened as I recognized Koudelka's presence.  Hurt him?  I had hurt Sasha?  Why was she saying that, he had nearly killed me!

            […going to…]  Her 'voice' was panicked, making her words even less understandable than normal.  […stop…he's…ll himself.]

            I stared at the light fixture, my blood becoming sludge in my veins.  Kill himself?  Why would he…in the yellow light I could shape his amber eyes, boring into me.  Death was but a reunion…but didn't he understand suicide was a sin, almost as great as murder?  And if he did kill himself, his soul would certainly not be at peace…

            [Please!] Koudelka screamed; I flinched and stood.  On the hotel's blue carpet blood dripped as Sasha slowly drew the knife again across his arm.  The blood did not stain the carpet, which had been juxtaposed to a grey stone wall.  By him there were two manacles, one lying open.  That must have been were Koudelka was being kept prisoner.  Sasha flicked the knife, striking off some of the blood, and then placed the point of the blade against his throat.  He smiled.  I shuddered at Koudelka's memory and ran outside, knocking the peddler's shoulder in my haste.

            "Sasha!  Sasha!" I called.  As soon as I had climbed up the stairs I was awash in a sea of people.  I stood on the tips of my toes, hoping to see him, but he was gone.

            _Koudelka__, where is he?_

            Suddenly I was running, my breath coming hard and fast.  People were either clearing a path for me or getting bowled over.  The fusion souls shrieked as the witch continued to cry out for me to stop.  No.  Fuck her.  She was the one who'd gotten me in this whole mess.  Her and that goddamned girl.

            Alice's face appeared before me, her eyes two gaping orbs, staring at me.  What had scared her so badly?  Had I really tried to…?

            _He doesn't know?_

            Roger Bacon would never take me back after this.  He would kill me for punching in his eye.  Stupid.  Stupid!  Why I had even thought—goddamn witch!  I knocked into a woman, making her spill her bag of clothing.

            _That's the clothing store we went to this morning.  That means…he's running towards…_

            "The harbor!" I exclaimed in surprise.  Some people looked at me, but I didn't care.  I began to struggle through the pressing crowds, all the while telling Koudelka, _he's going to the harbor!_

I shoved and muscled my way through the main street.  Just as I got through I heard Koudelka's voice again.

            [He's…wa…swimming…drown…]

            My eyes widened in horror and I put every last ounce of energy into the sprint.  He was going to drown himself.  As I neared the harbor I screamed, "Sasha!  Sasha, stop!"

            [he…under…er]

            There were two fishemen, both old and aged, talking agitatedly and pointing at the water.

            _Tell him to come up,_ I said to Koudelka.  _Tell him I'm sorry!_  If he was doing this because of something I had said, I…I'd let him stay with us if he wanted to, he shouldn't kill himself!

            [He's…listening…]

            At first I was cheered by her words—then I realized her tone was negative and I was missing a crucial word: 'not'.  He wasn't listening.  I stripped off the trench coat and tossed it aside, kicked off both boots, and dove in as the fishermen yelled at me.

            The water was frigid, even though I was fully clothed.  It was colder than it had been in Dalian.  I shivered as I emerged, sucked in a deep breath, and then swam down.  I had managed to save him in Dalian—though he had been closer to the surface then.  But maybe, there was still a chance…

            […almost unconsc…air…]

            And we were so far down…I wouldn't be able to get him up in time.  I spotted him with the flash of his mother's cross.  His face was blue and his eyes were fluttering.  He needed air, or—

            _He's got a fusion,_ I thought desperately, _one that breathes underwater…_

            […force…monster…]

            Force him?  Could she force him to fuse?

            Suddenly Sasha's eyes shut tightly.  His arms came up to his head and his body curled up into a ball.  The last of his air escaped from him in frantic bubbles.  _Koudelka__!_  Was she the one hurting him?

            There was a bright flash of light from his body.  I turned my head away and, when I looked back, there was the blue, reptilian monster.  He seemed perfectly at ease in this element, thank God.  At least then Sasha would not die.

            […up!  …not…control…Sasha's…]

            Sasha didn't have any control over the fusion.  It swung its large head around to look at me and smiled with rows of serrated teeth—like a shark.

            _Oh, my God.  My God my God my God—_

[Go!]

            The creature flinched in pain as Koudelka shouted.  I was already shooting up for the surface, swimming faster and faster as my legs and lungs burned.  I knew he was chasing me, and I knew he was faster.  My only hope was that Koudelka could delay him enough by whatever she was doing.

            Light streamed in at the surface, bright and inviting.  I gave all of my strength in one final effort, bursting out of the water and grabbing the edge of the dock.  I struggled to pull myself up when my ankle was seized.  Sharp teeth tore my skin.  The fusion soul dragged me down with a hard tug.  My fingers scrambled to keep their hold, scraping open against the rough surface.  I cried out in a panic and one of the fishermen responded, lunging forward to grab my arms.  I felt its webbed hands around my leg and lashed out with my free leg.  My first few kicks were ineffective and he tried to capture that limb too, but then I felt my heal hit something soft and squishy.  My ankle was released and I clambered onto the docks, shaking with terror.  I looked back and saw the blood blossoming like a rose in the salty water.  My fingers had left tiny red trails where they had ripped open.  My heart was still hammering so hard I thought it would explode.  Sasha was in the water, watching me.  No, it wasn't Sasha.  It was the monster.  Sasha's aura was buried deep underneath, so far I could barely feel it.  The monster glared at me, its left eye wincing, before sullenly turning around and swimming away.  It had realized that a city had too many people for a monster to roam freely out of the water.

            "Thank y-you," I stammered to the fishermen.  My ankle throbbed in pain and I lowered the torn sock to examine it.  It was raw and bleeding.  I could see a piece of white bone.  I'd never be able to walk with this.  I glanced at the fishermen—they both seemed honest enough people—and took a deep breath.  "**Cure**," I whispered.  First the muscle stretched back over the bone, and then egg white, new skin began to form.  Once the wound was sealed blood rushed through it.  It turned a bright red color and then paled to the faded pink of a scar.

            "You're a healer?" one of the men asked.

            I nodded.  It began to rain again, only this time it was a soft mist, soothing to the new skin.  I rose, stepping on the foot gingerly to test it, and winced.  It was more painful than I had expected.  "Yes.  Thank you," I said again.  Looking around, I picked up the discarded boots and tugged them over my wet socks.  Then I slipped the trench coat on and buttoned it with trembling fingers.  It was too late, of course.  They must know I was the 'ringleader'—and even if they didn't, they were probably suspicious of my disguise and the reasons behind it.

            "Did the monster—did it eat that young man?" the larger man asked.  He edged towards the water and peered in wearily.

            I swallowed.  "I didn't see.  But—probably."

            The other shook his head, his alert brown eyes focused on me.  "That's too bad."

            There wasn't much to say about the lie, so I nodded and looked out over the blue ocean.  _Koudelka__?_

            […es?]

            _Sasha and I…we're even now.  And we're done._  If I ever met the man again it would be too soon.  He scared me; he scared me with his amber eyes and his crimson eyes, his well-intentioned violence and his vengeful streak, his fusion skills and his allegiance to my father's murderer.  I was better off without him.  Should I even have helped Sasha? I wondered, the doubt nagging at me.  Through helping him, I had almost lost my own life.

            [I…stand.  Thank….and…sor…]  Her voice fell away as she from retreated from my mind.

            I should have been thanking her.  By directing Sasha she had saved me on the train, and then saved both our lives by warning us of the cannibals.  Though imprisoned by Roger Bacon, she had done her utmost to help me.  And with who she had to work with, it was a miracle she'd gotten anything done.  But at the time I was too upset to think clearly and so I let her slip back.

            The fishermen had moved along the dock, still searching in the water for the fusion soul.  That was first and foremost in their minds, and I thought I should probably slip away before they began to wonder about me.  I tried to act casually as I walked away—rather hard to do when my clothes were dripping wet and my ankle throbbed with every step I took.  The full effects of the healing hadn't come yet, and at a joint the usual discomfort was agonizing.  I put much of my weight on my left foot, making me walk oddly uneven.

            I meandered through the crowd, a blob of brown.  A man knocked into me and walked past with no apology as I grit my teeth.  I quickly swiped any tears away.  I wish I had my cap so that I could avoid others' scrutiny.  It felt like everyone was watching me because I was strange, because I was foreign.  My short white-blonde hair was only too conspicuous, and doubly odd if anyone realized I was a girl.

            My right foot hit a small rock as I stepped forward; with the sudden jolt of pain I lost balance and fell forward on the street.  I bit my lip.  That had hurt.  It was time to rest.  A side street caught my eye; at least there I wouldn't be seen by as many people.

            I stood, the trench coat now covered in mud, and made my way down the street.  I found a building that had seen better days, its door missing for some reason, and stepped inside there.  Its floor was littered with old beer bottles.  My nose wrinkled in disgust.  But nobody was here, and that was what I wanted.

            I stripped off one boot and sock and examined my right ankle.  It was still the same pinkish white.  I massaged the joint, feeling pricks of pain around the bone.  I cast the healing spell again, continuing to rub the joint slowly.  The ache was going away, but I still felt drained.  After all of today's excitement, I was exhausted.  I hadn't gotten much sleep yesterday either.  I leaned back and relaxed, closing my eyes.

            A drop of water splashed on my nose.  The roof was leaking.  I looked outside and saw that the sky was dark with clouds.

            Two, three, four drops—the drizzle quickly became a deluge.  I sighed and pulled the trench coat's collar over my head.  At least my ankle felt better now.

            I stood and went outside.  The streets were almost deserted now, which I was very glad for.  It made the trip to the hotel shorter, though it didn't really matter; by the time I reached the hotel I was soaking wet and miserable again.  The grandfather clock chimed and I noticed it was half-past four.  The man behind the counter glared at me as I dripped water onto the carpet.  I avoided his dark eyes guiltily and trudged up the stairs.

            The door to our room was locked, but when I put my ear to the door I could hear voices.  I knocked.  "Could you open the door?"

            The voices stopped immediately.  The handle was wrenched tightly and a moment later, Margarete was in the doorframe.  "Where the hell were you, Alice?"

            "Am I in trouble?"  It was such an idiotic question that I winced following the query.

            "We've been looking for you for three hours!" she said hotly.  But her blue eyes softened as she took me in.  "You look like something the cat dragged in.  And you smell like seawater," she remarked suddenly, puzzled.

            "Are you alright?" Zhuzhen asked, grasping my arms.  His hands had a firm grip but there was a tremor running through him.  "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

            Zhuzhen's tone suggested that he felt personally responsible for Sasha's actions.  I frowned.  Maybe I was over-analyzing things.  "No."  Not—not intentionally, at least.  Uncomfortable, I eased my arms out of his hold, knowing how standoffish the action was.  "We were just talking."

            "For three hours?" Margarete said in disbelief.

            My arms were grasping each other as she questioned me.  I didn't like this.  "Well, I fell asleep."

            "Where?!"

            "It's getting heavy," murmured Zhen.  His eyes were on the windows while his quivering hands kneaded each other behind his back.  "I'm going to find Quihua."

            I nodded and began unlacing my boots.  When the door clicked close Margarete put her hands on her hips.  "You took a nap."

            "Yes."  Why wouldn't she leave me alone?  I hadn't done anything wrong.

            "And meanwhile we've been here looking for you, thinking Sasha's murdered you or kidnapped you or **something**, and all this time you've been asleep!"

            "I was tired."

            "What, too tired to wa—"  She stopped very suddenly.  I looked up to see her staring up at me with wide eyes.  "Alice, your sock."

            I realized suddenly that my sock was stained with blood from my ankle.  It was also torn, making it yet another item of clothing that I'd ruined.  I stripped it off my foot and threw it on the bed, then examined Margarete's combat boots.  "I think they're fine," I offered, holding them out to the spy.  She didn't take them.

            "What about you?" Zhuzhen asked.

            "I'm fine."  I shook my head and eyed the bathroom longingly.  That was what I really wanted.  "I healed it."

            "What attacked you?" asked Margarete, kneeling to get a better look.  In reaction I crossed my legs, partially obscuring her view.  She looked up at my face.  "Something happen at the harbor?  Would explain why you smell like salt."

            "Yes."

            "What happened?"

            The spy was so persistent.  Nosy.  No wonder Sasha hadn't liked her.  It had nothing to do with her.  "It's none of your business," I said quietly.

            "Lemme guess, it had something to do with Sasha."  Margarete raised a delicate eyebrow.  "Are you trying to protect him?"

            _I'm trying to protect myself.  I don't want to talk._  But I didn't answer.  Any reply would've only given the pesky blonde more ammunition.  "I'm going to take a bath," I said aloud, trying hard to sound neither angry nor meek.  I stood and headed for the bathroom door.

            "Alice," Zhuzhen called, concerned.

            "Ah, leave her.  Maybe some hot water will thaw the ice queen."

            I was still holding the combat boots and for a moment I would've liked nothing better than to fling both at her.  Knowing my aim though, I'd miss anyway.  Instead I pried my fingers from the boots and let them drop to the floor.  The bathroom door was opened, shut and locked in a second.

            It was a relief to take my clothes off and not have them clinging to me anymore.  This set would have to be washed too, but at least then I'd have two outfits.  If the first could be cleaned, that is.

            I filled the bathtub and then sank into the water with a sigh.  Perhaps Margarete's snide comment had not been too far off; the water was relaxing.  It soothed my fears and doubts into reconciliation.  I was safe here.  Sasha should be fine with Koudelka looking after him.  I had been right to help him.  After all, if he had died like that, he would have almost certainly become a ghost, and knowing him, he'd have made himself a menace to everyone.  I chuckled and slid under the water, glad at least that Sasha would no longer present me with any more conundrums.

            Some ten minutes later I stepped out of the bathtub, my skin soft and pink from the hot water.  I toweled myself off as the water drained.  My pants and shirt had dried somewhat on the towel rack and I unhappily drew them back on.  For a long time I considered my bra.  It had been worn for a long time and had at least saltwater and sweat in it.  I didn't want to guess what else.  For the moment, I decided to forego it and wash it that evening.  The trench coat hid my chest anyway, so it'd be a moot point.  The socks were tossed aside too, with one being bloodied and torn.  I placed that one in the sink and ran cold water until the red had faded to a dark pink.  The tear could be mended with some time and work.

            I must have looked odd when I came out, wrapped up in a trench coat yet barefoot.  Margarete was facing the windows and Zhuzhen and Zhen were talking about something.  I caught the name 'Yuri' and dismissed the conversation, thinking it none of my business.

            Quihua was sitting on one of the beds, idly toying with Sasha's satchel.  She smiled when she saw me.  The pleasant expression made her features warm and beautiful.  "We were worried about you," she said.  Her clothes were still damp and dripping, her shirt clinging to her body, and her hair had been pulled out of its ponytail to dry over her shoulders.

            I felt embarrassed.  Everyone had been out for hours looking for me, and Quihua had gotten caught in the rain—and I had spent most of that time sleeping!  "I'm sorry."

            She shrugged.  "I suppose we all jumped to conclusions too quickly.  Both you and Sasha were gone, and we thought—" She shrugged.  "There was a peddler who told us that you'd left after him, so we weren't really sure what had happened."

            "Sasha was acting really strange," I said.  I was still debating inwardly how much I should tell, how much I wanted to explain.  "So I went after him."

            "And your ankle?" Quihua asked, leaning into me to peer at the scar.

            "…he hurt me.  But, he didn't mean to.  It was one of his fusion souls."

            Quihua gasped, her dark eyes growing wide.  "He lost control to a fusion soul?  That must have been terrifying," she breathed.  "Ben lost control once—I didn't see what happened, but he and my father brought Master Zhuzhen back to the bar on their shoulders.  He was bleeding horribly."  She lowered her eyes to the bedspread.  "Ben tended to him the whole night.  He felt so guilty he barely spoke to anyone…but I suppose Yuri didn't feel the same way."  She shook her head.  "It seems so strange to call him that."

            "Who's Yuri?" I asked.

            Quihua smiled wryly.  "Ben's son, Yuri.  Sasha."

            _So that's Sasha's real name.  Yuri._  I turned the name over in my head, sounding it out.  They were both Russian names, and both seemed nice enough.  Sasha, Yuri—it didn't really matter which you called him, he was still the same.

            "So his name is Yuri Hyuga?" Margarete asked as she lay down on the bed.  "Interesting.  He'll be a nice research project."  Her eyes were full of curious prospects as she mused.  Then she focused on me.  "So you didn't want to tell us Sasha had hurt you?  Thought we'd misunderstand?"

            Her guess was nearly dead-on.  They'd misunderstand, and Margarete would ask more questions,  so I'd have to explain, and explain Koudelka and drag everything up again…but…  "How'd you hear?  You were at the window."

            "Read my lips, dearie: I read yours," the spy said with a cheerful laugh.

            I smiled sheepishly, feeling there'd be nothing I could keep from her.  "I just didn't want to talk about it."

            "I noticed," Margarete said, the humor gone from her voice.  She rolled onto her back, covering the pillows.  "You just froze up.  Got pretty cold."

            "Well—"  I bit my lip.  There was not much I could say to it.  After all, I had been evasive, and probably cold.  Especially when everyone had been worried about me.

            "…Alice.  Alice."

            I looked up at Margarete, who was now leaning towards me, looking annoyed.

            "Don't take everything so seriously," she said, tapping my nose.  "I just don't like it when people try to hide their wounds."

            Hesitantly I smiled.  Margarete was trying to be nice, it was just that she and I were different, unaccustomed to each other's manners.  She tended to be blunt and forward, which might upset an easily offended person—and maybe I was too sensitive sometimes.  "I'm sorry."

            The blonde shook her head as Quihua also lay down, their bodies perpendicular to each other.  "Hey Alice," Margarete said, her voice lowered, "What happened in Rouen?  Sasha wouldn't say anything."

            "Oh…that…"  My hands clutched each other as I gathered myself together.  Well, Margarete and Zhuzhen were helping me, so they deserved to know, I supposed.  "Roger Bacon tried to kidnap me there.  But my Father held him off so I could get away…and…"

            After a moment, Margarete guessed, "He killed your father?  And Sasha sadi that was fine?"  I nodded.  "That goddamn son-of-a-bitch—"

            "What's wrong?" Zhuzhen asked.  Margarete had been very vocal with her swearing and both men were turned to us now.

            "Sasha," she said with disgust.  I explained again what had happened to Zhen and Zhuzhen, feeling that my heart was a little lighter.  Everyone was listening to me, and it was a relief to talk about it with people who I knew would be sympathetic.

            Zhen was silent.  His eyes seemed to be burning holes into the carpet.  The Adept shook his head.  "I'm sorry to hear that, Alice.  How he could say something like that—"

            "No, it's alright," I said, "I'm just glad he's gone.  Let's not talk about him anymore.  Please."

            "The rain's gone down.  Why don't we go back to the bar?" Quihua suggested.  "And you can have a meal, on the house of course.  Does that sound like a good idea?"

            I smiled broadly.  "That sounds wonderful.  We can celebrate you and your father getting your bar back."

            The reminder seemed to cheer Zhen up and he agreed to the plan wholeheartedly.  So we walked to the bar and had our meal, prepared by Quihua.  She was skilled at running a bar on her own, and with Wugui gone she seemed genuinely happy to be doing it.  She settled in to eat after serving everyone else; and after everyone had eaten she rose to get another drink for Zhen and Zhuzhen.  The two were already a little drunk and reminiscing.  As I watched Zhen threw his head back and laughed at something Zhuzhen had said.  Quihua's light laughter joined his as she set down the drinks and for a moment I was stung by jealousy.  That should be my father and me, enjoying ourselves and relaxing after a tiring day's journey.  When Zhuzhen looked my way I averted my eyes and pretended to pay attention to Margarete, who had been happily chattering away the entire time.  Their happiness was infectious though and before the end of the night I was laughing and smiling too.

            As it got later, we realized finally that we had to leave.  Everyone was a little tired from the day's events and for Margarete and I there were clothes to clean.  I volunteered to wash hers, being less tired after my nap, and she was only too glad to accept.

            We returned to the hotel and I gathered up the dirty clothes.  Before I could get started though, Zhuzhen raised his hand.  "Zhen and I were talking about what Dehuai's next target might be.  He's been collecting the votive pictures of the four gods…and the last one is in Wuhan."

            "So we're going there?" Margarete asked.  "Guess we'd better get some shut-eye then."  She yawned and stretched before lying on her bed.  Despite the lights being on, she fell very quickly into an easy sleep, light and peaceful.

            "Is that alright with you?" Zhuzhen asked me.

            "Of course," I said.  I began to fill the bathtub with water and took up the first piece of clothing, my white cotton shirt.  It'd be a miracle if I could get this clean.

            Zhuzhen lingered for a moment as I put the clothes in the tub but then walked away.  "Zhuzhen," I called.  He stopped and turned back to me.  "I'm fine.  Really.  So don't worry."

            He looked surprised for a moment and then smiled.  "It must be useful to have Demon Eyes."

            I nodded.  "It helps me tell what people feel towards me."  My skirt was dunked underneath the soapy water.  "Makes it easier to get along with others…most of the time."  Realizing that my mind was going back to Sasha, I shook my head.  Physically, he must be miles away by now, but it still felt like he was right here.  Maybe it was because he'd been in this room.  If so, Wuhan would be good.  I'd be able to forget him.

            "I was just wondering because you seemed lonely earlier."

            He'd caught me looking at Quihua and Zhen.  "I was a little.  But it's all right.  It's been six months…that's long enough."

            There was silence until Zhuzhen nodded.  He didn't seem quite convinced, but he went to his bed and seemed to go to sleep.  I sighed and began to clean the dirty clothes.  There were a lot of things bothering me, but maybe I'd forget them all while I was doing this.

            I was yawning an hour later as I hung the last of the clothes up to dry.  They dripped water on the bathroom tiles and I was all wet myself.  When I couldn't find any towels I simply shook my arms, splashing more water in the small bedroom, until I thought I was dry enough.  I crawled into bed, wearing only my white dry shirt, which was damp but not too uncomfortable.  I studied the bedspread in the milky moonlight before I blinked and then—

            "Don't you want to see your Father?"

             The stones of the street were stained with blood.  I pushed myself up from the ground and looked at the speaker, a little boy who came up to around my ribcage, with dark hair and eyes.

            "Is he in the café?" I asked, looking at the building.  The tables outside it were empty.  That's right, Roger Bacon must have left after he—he'd killed my father.

            I looked down at the cobblestones again, some voice in my head agreeing vaguely, _that's right, he did._

            "Do you?" the boy asked again.  He was mad that I wasn't paying attention to him and tugged on my shirt.  "Alice!"

            "What?" I asked as I looked at him.  His right hand grasped the white fabric of my shirt and his left hand was behind his back.  "What do you have…Yuri?"

            The child grinned broadly and brought his other hand out.  It looked for a moment like he had two hands, but there weren't enough fingers.  I looked at it curiously before I realized what he was holding and started awake in bed.  I stared up at the ceiling for only a few seconds before I walked into the bathroom and threw up in the toilet.

            A hand.  Oh, God, Sasha had been holding another person's hand.  My father's hand, with the index and middle fingers both missing and the gold wedding band covered in blood, and the remaining fingers outstretched as if to beckon me…to what?

            Had that really been his hand?  I knew in some way that it was.  What had the rest of his body looked like?  I had always pictured his body whole, but I knew now that at least his hand had been missing, and probably more.  I covered my mouth, trying to calm myself down.  It didn't matter.  It didn't matter now, he was in Heaven, he was at rest.  The reassurances sounded rather like something Sasha would have said.  No, he had said it, in the lobby.

            No wonder I was having nightmares, when I kept thinking of Sasha.  I flushed the toilet and walked back to bed.  I was not going to think about him.  He was not coming anywhere close to my mind.  I needed to think of something else, like…Wuhan.  I lay in bed and spent the rest of the time trying to imagine what Wuhan looked like.  Zhuzhen hadn't said anything at all about it, so I let my imagination go over all the possibilities.  I was picturing a small town, similar to Dalian, as I fell asleep.  And this time I did not dream.

**Author's Note:**  Okay, didn't know how to end this so well.  ;;  I didn't get any good ideas.  .

**Reviewers:**

**A Lifeless Beauty:**  Sasha acts like you?    Nope, that wasn't planned.  I'm glad you liked the romance.

I think you know why she hates him now.

About the almighty 'B' word…well, he was pestering her to say something bad.  : )

**MikoNoNyte****:**  Yeah, I did forget about that Shadow Souls scene.  O.o  You knew I was going to do something like that?  Weird.

Yeah, I guess you're right.  Sasha is mean-spirited at times.  Then the voice has to give him a few migraines to get 'im going.

I think from this chapter you might understand why Sasha was smiling after Yen Yen died.

;;  And I'll have to correct all that boat stuff sometime soon.

The thing about Li Li having similar powers to Alice was taken from one line in the script where Sea Mother said: "You're no ordinary "Demon Eyes", girl…  The star within you shines far brighter than that.  Li Li's power was nothing compared to yours."  It seemed strange to me for her to compare Alice and Li Li's power if they weren't similar in some way.  And Sea Mother seemed interested in Alice in the game, possibly because she was a bit similar to Li Li.  It's mostly my interpretation in the last chapter.Li Li could have been a Light class while alive.  There are examples in SH2 of people changing class : ) (Ouka, Roger Bacon, and Kallen.)Yeah, a protect thing in SH would've been fun.  Since you can set up people in front/back row, why not set up a person in the front row directly in front of a person in the back?


	5. Wuhan: Trials

"Oh, oh, Zhuzhen, could we stop?" Not waiting for his answer, I plopped down on a tree stump. My feet ached and I stripped my shoes and stockings off to see red, raw skin.

"Those shoes are murderous," Margarete commented. "Glad I'm not wearing them anymore." My shoes were very obviously not designed for traveling. It was apparent in the way the sole was wearing through and the stitches were coming apart. I doubted they could be repaired, but all my feet required was a healing spell. I stuffed my feet back in the stockings and slipped on the shoes before rising. "Sorry about that, I'm ready now."

"We'll be there soon. Wuhan temple isn't far."

"That's good."

Zhuzhen nodded, his lips curling in a small smile. The Adept seemed to be looking forward to this; little wonder, I thought, recalling his stories about Wuhan at breakfast. It was not another town, as I had first thought, but the temple where he had trained under a Master Xifa-along with Dehuai. I frowned. Exactly what sort of place was this temple?

The two smugglers were also wary. They had insisted on coming with us and had actually hastened our departure with the revelation that both Dehuai and the Japanese army were coming to Wuhan for the last of the Four Gods' votives. Margarete had been put out by this sudden haste because she'd wanted to try the pitfights Zhen had mentioned. Her opinion of the two was at a new low. I didn't like them either. Though the woman could keep her cool enough to fool me, her subordinate told me clearly enough when she was lying by his mounting nervousness. But we did need to retrieve the White Tiger votive as soon as possible. I just hoped the smugglers didn't want it for themselves. The man seemed a decent enough person, if caught up in the wrong sort of business...maybe he had fallen on hard times, just like-

I kicked a pebble on the path, furious with myself. _No, I am not going to think about him._ Still Sasha's haunted visage appeared in my mind. In one moment, he had been ready to kill me, to let me see my father. In the next, he had pushed me away, horrified. And then the harbor...it was not simply a matter of having had a hard life with him. There was something wrong with his mind, something missing.

Wooden boards creaked beneath me as I stepped onto an old bridge. "We're here," Zhuzhen announced.

I looked up and found we were. Wuhan temple sat low to the ground, a heavy air of foreboding smothering the derelict building. "Hey...no warlock, no soldiers," Margarete announced. I sensed no life near besides the plants creeping up on the temple. "What gives?"

The smugglers walked past us without responding.

Margarete tsked and folded her arms. "We've got two liars here," she murmured.

Zhuzhen shook his head. "Enough, Margarete. They haven't done anything to harm us."

"Yet."

Inside the temple it was slightly dusty--and there were places where the dust had clearly been disturbed. Margarete passed by these areas, scanning each spot briefly. "Maybe they were telling part of the truth," I suggested.

The blonde nodded. "Someone's definitely been here." Then she took her ponytail in hand and shook it; her hair had fallen into some dust, which was now floating on the air. Zhuzhen sneezed.

"God bless you." A few quiet giggles took hold of me. I simply couldn't help it. We had entered into a forbidden place and the curse upon our trespasses was sneezing.

The elder waited for me to be serious again and led Margarete and me through the temple. There was a turn to an outside path where the smugglers were standing--waiting for us? I wondered--but Zhuzhen continued straight on until we were standing in front of a large statue.

"Let's see...from here, I have to say the unlocking rites..."

"All right, shoot," Margarete said, standing back to let him do his magic. I looked curiously at the statue, wondering if it had something to do with this. "Zhuzhen?"

The Adept was shaking his head in embarassment, his face tinged with red. "...how did they go?"

Margarete's deep blue eyes widened. "Hey old man, don't go senile on us!" If he couldn't remember, there was no way for us to get the votive picture.

"Just shut up and let me think!" he snapped.

"Oh, GOD," she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. The spy grabbed my arm and began dragging me off. "Let's give him some peace, Alice."

"What're we supposed to do?"

"Don't know. Wait, I do. Let's check up on those smugglers. Make sure they're not getting themselves into any trouble."

They weren't. When we backtracked and followed the outside path we found them in nearly the exact same positions we'd last seen them in. They were talking quietly--at least, the boss was, and her subordinate was paying rapt attention. The flow of low, hushed words stopped when we caught her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she barked. Margarete bristled.

"Zhuzhen's having a senior moment. It might be a while. So make yourselves at home...if you haven't already," Margarete said snidely. The smuggler did seem quite comfortable in the decaying temple. Her arms were folded and her expression was that of a mannequin, detached from everything around her...including Margarete, who seemed to be getting more upset at the smuggler's lack of reaction.

"Come on, Margarete," I whispered, plucking at her jacket's sleeve. The spy glowered at them both before turning away.

"I-don't-like-them," she muttered.

"Yes, but let's not get them mad." I turned back to Margarete, amused. "You know it'll cause trouble, and you still do it. How'd you get to be a spy?"

She scowled, her deep sea blue eyes shifting. "You sound like Alex."

"Who?"

"My superior. He's a bossy jerk, always lectures me. Just try to make the guy happy. He'll rain on anyone's parade."

"Do you like him?"

The blonde stopped short and stared at me. I was grinning, knowing my intuition had been right. Her irritation hadn't sounded genuine.

"That's classified, Demon Eyes," she said.

I laughed. "I'll be sure to remember that. Oh, Zhuzhen!" I called, seeing the Adept. He was still in front of the stature, his head bowed as he mumbled. "Not having any luck?" I asked gently.

"Well...we'll see." Zhuzhen raised his staff, murmuring words full of power. Once enough energy had gathered around him, he struck the statue with the rod and it slid aside, bringing up a heavy layer of dust. "Ah, that musty aroma...brings back memories..."

Margarete and I were coughing too hard to respond and settled for glaring at his back as he descended the stairs. Below, the walls had changed to rock and dirt as we moved into a cavern. "You trained here?" Margarete said incredulously. As my foot came off the bottom step, I pitched forward and fell against Margarete; the ground was rumbling beneath us. Dirt fell on us as the walls shook. Was the temple collapsing? No-no... "Something's coming!"

Margarete grabbed her pistol, her eyes darting around. "Enemies?"

"I doubt it..." Still Zhuzhen seemed a bit wary as he scanned the room. There appeared a great flash of light.

"Meow, meow!"

We stared at the small boy who had appeared in front of us. Margarete thought to speak first. "...So?" she asked, folding her arms.

"What do you mean, 'so'? What kind of response is that! I am Master Xiaofang!" 'Master' seemed a ludicrous title for one so young, but he was serious by his tone. "I guard this temple. Nice to meet y'all."

"And, so?" Margarete asked again. I was also wondering what the boy wanted with us.

Xiaofang's almond eyes narrowed, making his angular face catlike as he stamped his feet. "Meeeeow! You insult me! I'll kill you!" Coming from a child that looked about ten or eleven years old, the threat surprised me--but Zhuzhen laughed.

"Hey there, Master Xiaofang. You're talking a lot more now, I see."

At the gretting, the boy started and turned. "Oh, Zhuzhen. Long time no see, meow!"

The Adept chuckled. "We've come to see Master Xifa. So how is the old man, anyway?" Just how old was Master Xifa, I wondered, for Zhuzhen to call him 'old man' like that?

A broad grin parted Xiaofang's lips, showing his sharp teeth. He really was just like a cat. For a second I was taken aback, remembering Zhaoyang, but then I rationalized to myself that surely Zhuzhen would not be so friendly to him if he was dangerous. "The meowster knew you'd be here. He told me to welcome you. That's why I'm here, meow."

"Great," Zhuzhen answered with a nod. "How about you take us to him right away, then. Using the short cuts, of course."

The boy seemed to be offended by the very thought of it. "No way, meow! You gotta follow the rules to get to Nirvana palace!"

"Don't be that way, Xiaofang! I'm sorry, but we just don't have time to play the old man's games right now. If we don't hurry, Dehaui's men or the Japanese army will get here."

A crafty smile found its way onto Xiaofang's face. "Some Japanese soldiers have been here already," he boasted. "They're all dead now, meow! Meow! I ain't afraid of no soldiers!"

"As cocky as ever, eh? If you keep going like that, I may have to turn you back into a cat," Zhuzhen muttered darkly.

This threat wiped the smile right off as Xiaofang jumped back from the Adept. "No!" he yowled. "You can't cheat! Follow the rules, meow! You have to go through the Spiritual Trials before you can enter Nirvana Palace, meow."

"Spiritual trials?" I asked. Testing our spirit...how would they do that?

"It's not as grand as it sounds," said Zhuzhen. "They're like little tests of nerve. They can get rather tricky though."

"Let's see, who's gonna take what trial, who's gonna take what..." As he paced in front of us, he said the words in a sing-song voice. This only further annoyed Zhuzhen.

"Xiaofang, there are only three of us. Four are required for the trials. If you don't stop this nonsense now, my joke about turning you back--"

"But there are four," the feline boy interrupted. "I can come with one of you! I already know what trial I'll take. Jiang palace!"

"Shortest one," Zhuzhen muttered. "Lazybones."

Xiaofang stuck his tongue out at the Adept. "I know I'm not taking you with me, old bag o' bones." He turned to Margarete and me. "Who wants to come with?"

We exchanged glances. Xiaofang was only a boy, and he didn't seem like a reliable person. Who wanted to be stuck with him? We both stayed silent.

An irritated growl rose from Xiaofang. "Fine then! I'll decide." He examined both of us, his slitted pupils glancing back and forth. Margarete almost slapped him when he leaned forward to sniff us. "You!"

I smiled, trying to hide my dismay as he eagerly grabbed my hand. Margarete walked over to Zhuzhen before asking, "So what's our trial?"

"Oh, you have to go through Dan Tian court and Ni Wan palace."

The spy frowned. "Two places?" I was starting to realize why Zhuzhen had said the path through Jiang was shortest. Maybe I had come off better then--though I still would've felt much more comfortable with Zhuzhen. "Hey, Alice, we're going to need some supplies then."

With a start I remembered I was the one carrying the bag. "Right, sorry," I said as I opened it. "How should we divide this?"

"Hm...looks like you're a little low," Xiaofang said gleefully. "I have some stuff I could sell to you."

The elderly Adept looked suspicious, but Margarete's curiosity had been piqued. "Are they good?"

"Oh, I think you'll like this stuff," Xiaofang said cheerfully. "It's top quality weapons and armor, picked it off the soldiers myself."

At this we all stared at him. "You did WHAT?" Zhuzhen demanded.

"Well, it was just going to go to waste with them..."

"We're not going to get haunted, are we?" I asked. Disturbing corpses merely to gain a profit...what kind of 'master of Taoism' would do that?

"Of course not, meow!" Xiaofang said, full of indignation. "They were already haunting Jiang Palace, meow. And they deserved it. This is holy ground! Meow!"

_Jiang Palace...that's the one I'm going into,_ I thought miserably. _Is that why he chose me? Maybe he could tell I'm an exorcist...how many are there?_

"Did they have any weapons?" Margarete asked curiously. Next to her the Adept sighed in weary defeat. But the cat was pleased.

"Lessee..." His narrow almond eyes passed over all of us as he judged what we needed. "A book, gun, staff. Yep, I got something for all of you!" First a book appeared in his hands. This Xiaofang faced towards me, so I could see the cover. "This is the Tome of the Moon." The reason for the name was obvious with the luminous moon on the cover, veiled at the bottom by clouds. It was much stronger than the tome I possessed, but I wasn't sure. "Can we afford it?" I asked Zhuzhen.

He nodded. "Especially if he takes these," he said, showing the guild card. No, wait, he had two cards; the second had a picture of a star on it. Xiaofang groaned.

"Awww...you guys are with the guild? No fair!" He exclaimed, pouting. "Oh well...you have two, so that means you get twenty percent off."

I smiled as I took the tome in my hands, then looked at the Shooting Star Tome. "Should we sell this then?"

"Nah, keep it as a back up," Margarete said, waving her hand in a dismissive fashion. "You've got to be safe."

"And here's a gun," the boy said, handing Margarete a pistol. The barrel was unique in being both longer and thinner than her other guns, but I couldn't tell much else about it. The spy raised the pistol.

"You mind?" she asked.

"Go ahead, meow. Try it."

She shot at the cave wall, making me wince with each bullet. I was somewhat glad I wasn't going with her, since gunfire still put me on edge. After five shots she was satisfied and turned back to us. "Alright."

"And for ol' bag-o-bones, there's this," Xiaofang announced. The wooden staff shone with a blue light. "It's for pilgrimers."

We paid for the weapons, and then Margarete sold her mouser and Zhuzhen his old, gnarled staff. They already had other weapons to serve as backups. I put a hand on my bible, wondering if they would ask me to sell it too. I prayed not; it had been given to me by my father for our travels. The book was precious to me. Fortunately, neither of them said anything, and it appeared we had plenty of money for armor. Zhuzhen got a studded harness while Margarete and I both were handed studded bustiers.

"...How can these be a stronger defense? They cover less," I pointed out, putting the armor against my body.

"More protection for vital organs," Margarete said simply. "Come on, let's just put them on. Turn around, boys."

As they turned around we did too, our backs to theirs. I first removed the long trench coat I had worn to keep the cold outside at bay, and then I took off my shoes and stockings at the same time so as to not dirty my stockings by standing with them on the cave floor. Margarete was in the middle of taking off her blue skirt as I checked behind to make sure Zhuzhen and Xiaofang were still turned away. Once reassured I quickly took off my white shirt and ruffled skirt. Anxious not to be standing in my undergarments long, I started to pull the metal bustier up. My awkwardness was compounded when I heard Margarete laugh. "You're supposed to take your bra off, Alice."

Zhuzhen and Xiaofang must have heard her. I could feel my face burning a hot red as I glanced at her. She was already changed and had also let her hair flow freely around her shoulders. With her helmet and belt she might have been a blonde Amazon, if her clunky combat boots hadn't ruined the image. And she wasn't wearing a bra.

"Could you-would you turn around too then?" I asked the spy and she obliged. I quickly finished changing, though I kept fussing with the bustier. The metal was a bit cold and very uncomfortable. I gave up, resolving to change out of it as soon as I could. I wrapped myself up in the trench coat and put my shoes and stockings back on. "Alright, I'm done," I announced, turning back to face everyone else.

Zhuzhen had put his heavy, clunky harness over his red Adept robes, though he had taken off his necklace to do it. He regarded me with a quizzical expression. "You changed?"

"Aw, you hid it," teased Margarete. "I bet you looked nice in it."

"Nice?" I said disbelievingly.

Zhuzhen shook his head. "Well, we had better get going. Hurry up and put the seal on."

Xiaofang smiled, his eyes narrowing to slits in his glee. "Alright, you have to stand next to each other."

The spy looked slightly confused, but did as he asked. The boy meowed long and loud as light engulfed Margarete and Zhuzhen, spiraling down to form a ring around each of them on the ground. Suddenly Margarete's bag was gone and she stared at her empty hands in astonishment.

"Where'd our gear go?" she yelled at Xiaofang, but then the circle faded and the bag reappeared in her grasp.

The boy was grinning devilishly now. "Those circles of judgment will flare whenever a monster comes near you, so you won't be able to use items while fighting."

Margarete's blue eyes widened in shock, but Zhuzhen merely sighed. "Do we really have to do this...?"

"Get ready!"

Before I could even register that Xiaofang had been addressing me, he was yowling again and I was surrounded by white. As the circle formed around me, I realized something was wrong; I could still feel the heft of my bags on my arm. It took me another second to realize that something else was missing. My heartbeat seemed to slow to a crawl, stopping before the ring faded.

"You mean...I've got to go without magic?" I whispered. "And...fight?"

"Catch on quick, don't ya?" Xiaofang teased.

I'm not sure what I looked like, but the terror I was feeling at this thought must have been written on my face, because Margarete spoke up. "Hey, we need to switch, kitty," she told him. "Alice will do better in Dan Tian court--"

Xiaofang practically hissed at her. "I'm the one calling the shots!" he said bossily.

Margarete pulled herself up, squaring her shoulders. She had not taken the cat's attitude well and opened her mouth for what would have been a scathing reply. Before she could say a word, the Adept at her side raised his blue staff. "Xiaofang's right. Let's not waste time arguing. Don't worry, Alice. The trial is one of nerves; mind and will. You should do fine."

"Al-alright," I said, feeling a bit reassured. If Zhuzhen was agreeing, there had to be a good reason. Maybe I was making the trial worse out than it really was.

Though, my fear did rise up again when, as they were entering Dan Tian court, Zhuzhen looked sternly at Xiaofang and told him, "Go easy on her."

"I will!" Xiaofang sang out. I could already tell he had no intentions of the sort. "...if she gives me a good reason to," he added quietly. His slitted iriuses rested on me idly, as though he was sizing me up.

_Dear God, they've left me with the devil,_ I thought. There was nothing I could do about it either; the door had shut behind them and only Xiaofang could open it.

"Come on Alice! What are you waiting for?" Xiaofang asked, dragging me into a dark passageway. I went along reluctantly, knowing it was too late to turn back now. We passed through an open wooden door and came to the interior of Jiang palace.

From its name I had expected an immaculate room, carved out by ornate architecture. I was sorely disappointed by the continuing cave walls. There was a path to our left and right, both curving away. Xiaofang walked decisively to the right and I hurried to follow.

I couldn't keep track of where we were in the caves, mostly because Xiaofang kept turning onto different paths to finish "cleaning up" after soldiers. Within moments he had turned up a packed tent and a long, sharp tooth. I stared at the second item in puzzlement; I could feel the traces of a sacred power within it, but why in an animal's fang?

"That's not from an animal," said Xiaofang indignantly after I asked. "It's from the Black Tortoise God."

"Oh," I murmured in surprise. I had thought there were only votive pictures of them. There was an echo of my exclamation, then a second one-louder. I turned around, taken off guard by the cave's strange sounds.

"Oh. Oh," a voice moaned. "Not my daughter. Not her too. My poor, poor baby."

It was speaking in English. Astonished, I walked towards the source. Though the voice was dry and hoarse, broken in its mourning, it sounded almost like...my mother. She was talking about me.

"Mother," I called, wanting to comfort her, but then my common sense broke through. My mother couldn't have known where I was, she thought I was still with the missionaries. Why on earth would she come here? I looked down and sure enough, the circle around my feet was glowing brightly. My magic was just beginning to drain away.

"I was wondering when you'd notice," Xiaofang muttered.

I flushed so deeply I almost gave off my own light in the dim cavern. So much for giving him a reason to go easy on me. Hoping to not give my embarrassment away, I pulled the Tome of the Moon closer to me and asked, "What is it?"

"Them," corrected the cat. "Formed from the dust of graveyards, meow."

"But this isn't a graveyard."

"No," he agreed. "But it holds plenty of corpses."

_I just hope it won't hold mine._

His voice seemed to have gotten deeper, closer to a growl. I resisted the urge to look back at him though. I had to pay attention so I wouldn't be caught off guard.

And still I was. Unaccustomed to the poor light and unsure what to look for, I was startled when smoke rushed towards me. Too late I raised my tome and it collided into me, bit me before I could ward it off. Blood welled up on my cheek as two others appeared. Each monster was a trio of skulls, with a light gray mist around them. Each skull had a bullet hole through its forehead. Presumably the soldiers had tried to stop them, but bullets hadn't worked. How could a book?

To test me the trio swung down again; I first backed away and then sidestepped to avoid the horrible monster. Xiaofang caught my eyes as he ran forward to meet the other two, claws outstretched. Claws? Teeth just as sharp sank into my shoulder. I screamed and tried to pull away, failing before I firmly planted my tome's spine into the offending skull's jaw hinge. Its jaws popped open and the trio of skulls backed away. They seemed warier now. I stared at it, and it stared at me-and then I realized light was gathering around the monster. Oh, this was just delightful, the monsters could use magic and I couldn't!

Wanting to head it off, I raised my book and lunged at the skulls. The middle one opened its mouth, revealing a ball of light. As I raised my tome about my head it shot. The light arrow pierced my arm, but I still brought the book down firmly. The skulls shuddered, and then they fell, fading as they rolled along the ground.

The Tome of the Moon fell too. I held my arm and spun around, thinking to check if Xiaofang needed a healing item more than I did.

He was doubled over, in a trembling ball. Was he injured? I approached him to find the "trembling" was only his efforts to twist enough so he could lick his side, quite difficult in a human form. His green shirt was torn, revealing the long scratch he was trying to tend.

As the monsters were gone, I knelt at Xiaofang's side and healed it myself. "Did you beat those other two?" I asked him.

"Yeah, they're not that hard. It's the soldiers you have to watch out for."

If he meant that as reassurance it backfired. The monsters might not be so bad. I hated fighting people. First the tortured souls in Zhaoyang, then Japanese soldiers, and Li Li's rotting corpse...I hoped the ghosts of the soldiers would be easy to put to rest, but from Xiaofang's words it was probably a vain wish.

As soon as my arm was healed Xiaofang took off, leaving me to follow. I left enough distance so our circles barely touched. I didn't want to seem too anxious.

He wasn't nervous at all; immediately he was scavenging again. When he came across packs he would shake out all of their contents: rations, matches, equipment--some still had a few rounds of bullets in them. Xiaofang snorted in derision when he found these. "Too afraid to use them I bet."

"Why do you say those kinds of things about them?" I asked.

"Because only fools trespass on holy ground," he replied.

"But they didn't have a choice. They were ordered to."

"They should've known what they were getting into."

I couldn't think of what to say to that. The army should have gotten better information about Wuhan, true; then lives wouldn't have been wasted like this. But what did Xiaofang think the soldiers should've done?

It was apparent they hadn't known what they were getting into by the glassy-eyed terror evinced in the first corpse we found. It looked like he might've died of sheer fright, but something had gotten to him and torn his chest open. I looked away as the ghoulish boy patted down the shredded uniform. I heard a soft clack as the soldier's belt was removed.

"You already have one, so I guess this'll go in my shop...or maybe I'll wear it. They're a little big. Nah." As I turned my head back to him, Xiaofang idly tossed the belt back onto the dead soldier and walked away. For his indignation that the soldiers hadn't given Wuhan the proper respect, he treated them like...like they weren't even human.

_Then again, he's not,_ I remembered. He was a cat who had been turned into a human boy. Though he might have retained some feline characteristics; I was sure I had seen claws on him before. Real claws, not the kind Sasha had used--

_Not thinking about Sasha_. No no no. I needed something to distract me.

And something did. I was broken out of my thoughts when something brushed my shoe. I looked down and saw the soldier's hand, his fingers curling up against my boot. I must have nudged him by accident. My involuntary shudder turned into a scream when I saw the glowing circle beneath me.

"Oh, you saw the skulls?" Xiaofang asked. Since I hadn't, I turned around to see two groups of skulls. I felt relieved. It was just the skulls, and only two this time. This fight shouldn't be so hard. I began to walk forward to meet the monsters--and stopped mid-step with something gripping my left ankle. I lost hold of my tome and fell as it yanked me backwards. Nails dug into my right calf. "Xiaofang!" I shoulted, struggling against whatever was dragging me.

It was the soldier. He let go of my ankle to grab my arm and pull me onto his chest. My right hand slipped into the cavity in his chest, scraping past broken bone to be caked in coagulated blood. I gasped and quickly drew it out. I hit the soldier in the face, hoping he would let go. He did, for a second--long enough for him to pick up his rifle. A blow to the side of my head disoriented me. He pinned me to the ground and his hands moved up to my throat, squeezing it. I gagged. There wasn't anything I could do. My Tome of the Moon was out of reach, and the Shooting Star Tome was in one of the trench coat's pockets, blocked by the corpse's legs. I continued to hit him, but he only pressed down with a steady iron grip until I saw everything turning black.

Suddenly the weight was taken off. I rolled onto my side and gasped for air. Only after I had gotten my breath back did I look. Xiaofang had managed to tackle the soldier, who was much lighter than most men from disembowelment. The cat tore at his head with unmatched ferocity, stopping when the soldier was good and dead again.

I rubbed my neck, feeling ashamed. Not only had Xiaofang taken care of the two spirits, he had also saved me from a zombie. But that deep shame did not prepare me for when Xiaofang turned slitted eyes on me. He was mad, and his anger was unmistakably directed at me. There seemed little boyish about him; I only saw an angry feline.

"One out of six," he said.

"One out of what?" I was paying more attention to his long claws, which had not retracted yet, than to his words.

"You're hopeless," said Xiaofang, bluntly. This got my attention and I looked up at his face. "If I wasn't here, you'd be dead by now."

"That's not fair, Xiaofang!" I protested. "He took me by surprise--"

He interrupted, "and he was taken off guard too," with a nod to the corpse. "I already told you what I think of that."

The soldiers didn't get any sympathy. What made me any different in Xiaofang's eyes?

With Xiaofang glaring at me balefully I couldn't think of any kind of answer. Finally he spoke again: "You'll have to take your trial alone."

Alone? "What? Xiao--" the boy disappeared in that same flash of light he had appeared in. "XIAOFANG!"

There was no response. He was gone. I stared at where he had stood and then suddenly sat down. My legs wouldn't support me anymore.

I was dead. I was so dead there wasn't a point in continuing. I couldn't fight off a zombie, and if a group of those skull trios attacked I was sure to lose. Even if I was strong enough to face these monsters without my magic, I'd be hopelessly lost in this labyrinth. I'd never get out.

No. No, that wasn't true. My father and I had negotiated a hedge maze once; my father thought it would be an enjoyable experience for his thirteen-year-old daughter. I had been worried we would get lost amongst the tall bushes until my father had told me that even a blind person could get through a maze. The trick was to keep your right hand on the wall all the time. That way you'd never take the same path twice.

I put my hand on the wall. It was slightly wet with a trickle of cold water that sluiced the blood off of my hand. With my left hand I healed my throat, sore from both being strangled and yelling, then conjured a light to see by. It was necessary now that I didn't have a guide to follow. My book lay on the floor; I took my hand off the wall to grab it and tuck it into my bag.

"Alright," I said to myself. "Let's go." After all, I'd meet with monsters either way; at least this way I'd have a small chance of getting out before they found me. And Margarete and Zhuzhen would be waiting for me on the other side; I had to at least try.

I took slow, exact steps forward. I had to be cautious. My hand was pressed so hard to the wall it scraped the skin of my palm open. From then on I kept only my fingertips against it.

Keeping to the wall, I made my way through the convoluted cave. After two turns I could discern movement at the back of the tunnel. Then my light, made by magic, was extinguished by the circle, plunging me into darkness.

For a few, precious seconds I could see nothing. My eyes had to readjust to the cave's darkness. _Xiaofang was right,_ I thought as I reached for my tome and backed away, _I really am hopeless._

As I was regaining sight, the barrel of a rifle appeared as it was shoved into me. I fell down but had a new appreciation for the bustier, which had taken most of the impact.

I observed two objects glinting in the circle's light. Two lights, two rifles, two soldiers who could kill me if they had half a mind to.

They didn't shoot though. They raised their rifles. I scrabbled backwards on the ground as both were swung down, accompanied by heavy grunts.

I stood and looked at them. Which one should I take on first? One of the soldiers was noticeably shorter than the other one, around my height. I raised my tome and ran at him, hoping the zombie would be caught off guard. But as soon as I was within his range, he swung the rifle like a club, bashing my cheek.

I spun in my fall and caught myself on my hands. A heavy blow fell on my back and then a hand clamped down on my shoulder. I screamed and lashed out with my legs, hitting my assailant and tearing out of his grip. I ran away to get out of their reach.

_No...I can't run away. What if this is the path leading out?_

They were following me at a slow and stiff pace. At this distance I could just see their rifles; how the soldiers held them at their sides, with one hand.

This gave me an idea and I stopped, facing them. Neither of them aimed at me. It had finally registered; the soldiers didn't know how to fire a gun anymore. They didn't even realize their guns had that capability.

_Come a little closer_, I thought, eyeing the shorter man's gun. _Just a little closer..._ I held my book close to my chest in a defensive pose, but dropped it when the zombie was no more than six paces away. I flung my body at his side, my eyes on the rifle. He brought the weapon up and caught me in the stomach. I lost my breath, but my arms wrapped firmly around my prize. In the next second I was on my back with a zombie over me. Panting, I fumbled with the rifle in my hands and squeezed the trigger repeatedly in my fright. It only fired the first time. The shot illuminated the cavern for a brief second and I realized with a start how youthful the soldier's features were as the bullet entered his eye.

He fell forward, onto me. I cried and hit his head with the rifle to knock him off. As he lay on the ground I raised the captured rifle, intending to hit him with its butt. I brought it down on his neck. There was a fearful crack and he stopped moving. I shuddered violently, feeling I would throw up.

But the other soldier was upon me and swinging his rifle wildly. One blow hit my chest, another my leg as I moved away from the reach of his rifle and towards his left side. He was following me around but I was quicker, and when I saw the chance I swung my rifle with both hands into the back of his knees. He fell, and I didn't give him the chance to get back up. I beat on him relentlessly until I was sure he had not moved for over a minute. Then I rammed him in the chest again. You couldn't be too sure with a zombie.

The circle beneath me faded and I sighed with relief. That hadn't been as bad as I'd though; I was still alive after all. Sore though. My head was reeling both with a dizzy excitement and a load of pain. I healed myself and then summoned a light. I had to get myself reoriented and figure out which way I had come from. My eyes remained steadfastly away from the soldiers-until I remembered the gun I had taken was out of ammunition. Xiaofang had found ammunition in another pack. But, the idea of stealing from the dead...

_I can either spend a half hour feeling guilty, or a hundred years rotting in this 'palace'._

The sudden idea persuaded me to search the packs each soldier had carried. The younger soldier had nothing, but the older and taller one had four bullets in his pack.

My next problem was reloading. I had seen Margarete do it, but the rifle was different from her pistol in reloading; it seemed to me harder. Worse, the gun would only hold one bullet at a time. With the constant reloading and low ammo, I decided to reserve my shots for the soldiers. I had beaten the spirits with just the Tome of the Moon...speaking of which...

The light managed to reach to the turn I had arrived from. Part of the tome's cover glittered from where I had dropped it in the dirt. I picked it up and lightly brushed the tome to clean it, though my touch was probably dirtying it even more. My hand had been in a zombie's chest of decaying organs. It was a disgusting thought. My trench coat was stained with blood and death too, and I could feel the coat of dirt on my face.

_I'm going to take a very long bath once we're out of here._

After placing the book in my bag and stepping out along the wall, I extinguished my light. I didn't want to enter another fight blind. The rifle was heavy in my arms, making me wonder if I could really fire it. The soldier had been so close to me last time and the shot had still been pure luck. In this light, aiming would be difficult at best.

_Just take one step forward_, I told myself, trying to stop worrying. _This isn't the time to think of that. You'll just get yourself nervous_.

One step forward. Two steps. Three...the weight of the gun was much easier to carry when I hugged it to myself (not too close-I didn't want it to discharge on accident) than when I held it outward as if to fire.

Dead end. Turn around. At once I was feeling both more confident and more scared. On one hand I had a weapon better suited for physical attacks than my tome. On the other hand I was starting to wonder how big this place was. How long would I have to wander through here to find the exit?

"Stupid Xiaofang," I muttered to myself. I was doing well enough for being on my own right now. If Xiaofang was still here I'd have no problems. Though, if he was still here, I'd never have been desperate enough to grab a gun like that.

Ahead of me moans started. I stopped and listened; it could be either a spirit or a soldier. But a zombie wouldn't speak to me.

"Alice...my dear...come to me..."

I almost dropped the rifle. That was my father's voice they were using, marred by a disgusting rasp.

"Go to him..."

"Go see your father...he can protect you from the warlock."

My grip on the rifle tightened in anger. They were using the voices of the two dead missionaries--and my father's. I would come to them, certainly, and they wouldn't like it when I did. I marched ahead and found three sets of skulls, one for each dead person they had mocked. As the first swooped down at me they were batted away hard and into the wall. It'd teach them for trying to use my father's memory.

The other two groups swooped down on me, hitting me in the back. I turned to them, holding out the rifle to fend off more attacks. But I was struck in the back once more, this time by the one I had hit. These monsters were rather intelligent. They were trying to divide my attention. I turned back and struck the first monster, killing it. As I faced them, the two remaining groups retreated to a safer distance, just a bit further then the rifle could reach. Clever indeed. It wouldn't do them much good.

I charged the one closer to my right, swinging the gun in a downward arc. The skulls fell to the ground. Their struggle to rise up was ended with a hard blow. The third group bit my calf before I swung the butt of my rifle into it. It was also defeated in a few short minutes.

Sighing, I was about to move on when I noticed something small and wooden in the dirt floor. I bent down and reached my arm out to it as the circle's glow went out. My fingers searched the ground and found a small figurine. Its shape was familiar to me; after all, I had used a voodoo doll before. Mine had broke while fighting Li Li, so this would be a helpful replacement-if it wasn't already broken. Making a light, I examined the wood doll. It didn't seem broken... "Can you help me?" I asked aloud.

The figure's crude lips curved up in a blank smile. It wasn't broken then.

"Good." I returned the smile before carefully placing it in one of the trench coat's pockets. Its arms and head stuck out from the top, all askew.

The next thing I came upon was a yellow seal on the ground at the end of a path. I tapped the seal with my foot. The magic inside it wasn't harmful or malicious, but I was at a loss for what it was supposed to do...and if I really wanted to know.

Still, if it wasn't made out of hatred or greed, what harm could it do me? So I stepped onto it. Nothing happened. Maybe I needed something for it to work? It seemed too similar to the circle around me not to be a part of the trial...they were even the same size...

Aha. I moved to the center of the yellow seal, then looked around. The lines of both circles were almost touching and I shifted slightly for them to rest on top of each other. There was a bright flash of light, blinding me badly as I tried to shield my eyes with my hand.

Then, cautiously, I took my hand away. Despite the magic I had felt, nothing seemed to have changed. I felt the same as before, and I couldn't see anything new in the circle's yellow glow. _What did it do?_ I wondered.

There was a footstep from behind. It was so light I might have imagined it; but immediately I turned around and raised the rifle. Of the two kinds of monsters, one made footsteps: a soldier.

All movement abruptly stopped. The silhouette I was aiming at was very small. Were there boys in the army?

"Meow...you're not that mad, are you?"

"Xiaofang?" There was no rasp, so it couldn't be one of those skulls. I lowered the rifle and almost felt relieved before I remembered: Xiaofang had abandoned me. "What are you here for?" I asked suspiciously.

"I'm impressed, meow. I didn't think you'd make it this far." As he stepped closer, his eyes picked up the light from the seal, reflecting yellow back at me. It was rather eerie. "Good job."

"'Good job'?" I said incredulously. "You leave me on my own to fight zombie soldiers and skull things and you pop up just to tell me 'good job'?"

"I was teaching you a lesson-"

"By killing me! Xiaofang, I ought to skin you!"

I regretted saying this immediately, as Xiaofang took me at my word and vanished to save his hide. But he hadn't gone far; I could still sense his aura. He was probably waiting for me to calm down. I counted the seconds, taking steady breaths. Finally:

"You know I didn't mean that Xiaofang."

The echoes hadn't died down before the cat answered, "I'm not sure I trust you with a gun."

My ire rose again. "Well what did you expect me to do? I couldn't get near those zombies with a book, so I had to grab a rifle."

"How'd you get it?"

"Tackled a soldier. He hit me in the stomach for it."

The cat chuckled and I noticed one of his eyes peeking out. "See? It was a good thing I left you alone. You're not so afraid to fight now."

This really made me mad, especially since it was true. "Says the fraidy-cat who's trying to hide from me."

I could just feel Xiaofang's fur bristling. "Bravery is not the same thing as a death wish."

"I didn't know gumption was the same thing as death wish!"

"Of course." My lips parted into a broad smile. No wonder he made me so mad. They were a lot alike. "Come on out Xiaofang, I'm not going to do anything to you." He came out from his hiding spot, both eyes glinting in the darkness. "Was there anything else you wanted to tell me, or just good job?"

"Well, I was going to help you...if you wanted me to. You've proven you can handle your fair share of the fighting, and you're taking the Trial seriously."

He'd been mad because he thought I was trying to just breeze through the Trial with him doing all the work. "I'd be glad if you would help me."

Xiaofang nodded and walked towards me, taking my hand. "All right then, let's go!" I had to stifle my laughter, not wanting to make him mad again...but he was certainly impulsive.

Jiang palace was much less fearsome with Xiaofang around. He continued scavenging, turning up a two small hourglasses, one with bits of gold in it and the other with silver; a strange red liquid he called a witch's broth; and a thera seed.

He also found bullets, invaluable in our fights against the zombies. In the first battle I nearly wasted all the ammo. Aiming here required both my physical eyes and my "Demon Eyes", especially to avoid hitting Xiaofang by accident. I wondered how Margarete would manage it; I could only aim reliably when aiming at the torso, and even those missed often. Still, once I got used to reloading, the gun was a much better weapon than my tomes. My only complaint was the recoil; every so often I'd have to heal my sore shoulder after the end of a battle.

"We're near the end," Xiaofang said as we came to a red seal. "Baigu is next."

"Baigu?"

"Master Xifa said that Baigu is an insect that lives in peoples' hearts. It causes depression and shortness of breath. The Baigu were about to face," he added, "has lived in many peoples' hearts, and led them all to despair."

"But no worries, huh?" I said at his light tone.

"We'll be fine." He stepped onto the seal, leaving me to follow. It led to a door that Xiaofang had already pushed open...and past that was a small but magnificent shrine. To my right there was resting circle, but Xiaofang was already walking past it, since neither of us were hurt. "You ready?"

"Hold on..." I checked how many bullets I had. With Xiaofang's scavenging, there were eight bullets. It was a good thing the shrine was lit with candles. Less bullets would go to waste. "Um...would Master Xifa get mad if I, um, missed?"

The cat hissed, his eyes narrowing. All right then...hopefully this Baigu would provide a big enough target.

"I'm ready."

Xiaofang nodded and was about to put his hand over a light in the altar when-

"Xiaofang! C'mon, kitty-cat, we've been done for half an hour!"

I smiled at Margarete's voice. "Sounds like she's getting impatient."

"Well she'll just have to stay put until we're done. Ni Wan palace won't open until then." He put his hand over the light and the altar shook. I raised my rifle as Baigu emerged; the insect had wings and resembled a chubby lower arm, eyes covering the fingers and parts of the palm and...the monstrosity was nearly as big as me.

"You call that an insect?" I said incredulously.

"It gets bigger the more hearts it feeds off of."

It must have lived in hundreds then. As the insect roused itself I shot at the eye-covered ball at its base. It might have been some kind of joint. Xiaofang rushed in, his claws unsheathing to rip into Baigu's palm. The fingers curled around Xiaofang and lifted himinto the air. But a shot in the soft lower arm made him let go. I loaded another bullet as Xiaofang buried his claws into the meaty ball, backing away before the fingers could grab him again.

With Xiaofang drawing the monster's attacks and letting me shoot, the fight wasn't nearly as hard as I had expected. The only time I was panicked was when the arm straightened up, its wings flapping slowly, and pointed a finger at us.

Blue flames flared from the ground, filling me with dread. The fire licked my skin, burning as arms rose from the dirt, grabbing at me. I fought them off, but not without being clawed. I felt dizzy and lightheaded; there was indeed the shortness of breath Xiaofang had mentioned. As I tried to catch my breath, Xiaofang finished Baigu off.

His clothes were also burnt. He'd been caught in the attack too. I healed us both.

"I'm gonna go let your friends through now," he told me before vanishing.

I moved to the resting circle and waited. It was not long before I heard Margarete screaming, "XIAOFANG!" and the cat hastily reappeared.

"What did you do now?" I asked, laughing.

He had an indignant expression. "I didn't do anything," he protested, "just got them ready for the next trial. She's mad she can't use her grenades anymore."

"She can't?"

The young boy shook his head. "Nope. No items, no special abilities, no magic."

"That's horrible."

"Now do you see why I didn't want you two switching?"

I had forgotten all about how Margarete and Xiaofang had argued, and Zhuzhen had agreed with Xiaofang that Margarete and I couldn't switch. Of course Zhuzhen had agreed; he had already been through the Trials once.

"I suppose that was the best choice," I said. "I probably would've been too scared stiff to go through Ni Wan palace."

"Well, you might've made it through with the rifle." He fiddled with something at the altar and then tossed it to me. It was a lariat, decorated with heavy pieces of coral. "Baigu dropped this."

"I can have it?"

"Sure."

"Thank you." As I placed the lariat in my bag, I noticed a piece of paper sticking out.

"Meow! You have a lottery ticket?" Xiaofang asked, squatting down next to me. "Wanna play?"

"Um...sure...I don't know how though."

The feline produced a tiny device, shaped in a circle. There was a button in the middle, a line extending from the button along the radius, and several areas were marked on the circle. Was this what Sasha had been playing in Dalian?

"You press the button and the line starts moving around. You press the button again when the line's where you want it to be. The smaller the space you get it in, the better your prize."

Hearing this, I examined the areas; red was the smallest. I pressed the button and watched the line sweep around. When it was just about to enter the red zone I pressed again. The line made one more sweep, slowing. I bit my lip, thinking I'd pressed too soon, but it just inched into the red area. Xiaofang pouted but gave me my prize: a flash badge.

Suddenly he yawned, showing his sharp incisors. He lay down on the resting circle and curled into a ball. "Taking a catnap?" I teased.

"Meow...yeah, sure...meow..." To my surprise, and then amusement, Xiaofang nuzzled his head on my knee. Then he rubbed his cheek against my leg. The little meows continued until, on a hunch, I scratched gently behind his ear. He rested his head in my lap, purring with a silly grin on his face. He looked absolutely adorable. Maybe I'd be a cat lover after all.

Although I didn't find him cute simply because he was a cat. The way he fought, his attitude, some of the things he said...he was like a younger Sasha. Xiaofang had mentioned he'd been a street cat when Xifa had taken him in; Sasha had been orphaned when Roger Bacon took him. They had both taken on new identities: Xiaofang that of a human--make that semi-human--boy, and Sasha had dropped his birth name and become a criminal. They both admired the men who had shown them kindness, and this led them on completely different paths.

_Why can't I get him out of my head?_

Xiaofang's chest was vibrating as he purred in a content sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to rest as well.

"Xiaofang! What are you doing now?"

This time it was Zhuzhen calling. After blinking in confusion for a few seconds, I shook Xiaofang awake. "Zhuzhen wants you. I think they're done."

The cat stretched lazily, rubbing his cheek against me one last time before he stood. "All right, come on."

He went to the left wall and pushed it open. There had been a hidden door that led to a staircase going down. At the end of the staircase, Xiaofang pressed the seeming dead end to reveal another shrine and Margarete and Zhuzhen.

"Hello!" I called to them.

"Hey--" Margarete's eyes were drawn downward. "I thought you didn't like guns."

"Oh, well--I needed it," I said, "my books aren't very good for physical fighting."

"Alright," Zhuzhen said, "you've got no grounds for denying us further Xiaofang. Take us to see Master Xifa."

The cat nodded and I set aside the rifle, glad to hear we wouldn't have to fight anymore. He strolled to the left side of this altar and opened yet another hidden door in the back.

Inside was a storeroom, crammed with shelves full of books and scrolls. There was only space along the wall for a desk and bed. How it was illuminated was a mystery, as I couldn't see any candles. At the desk an old man stood, attired in a dingy yellow shirt with a yin-yang symbol on his back.

"Meowster, I'm back!" Xiaofang called cheerfully. "I brought everyone here."

The man turned to us. For being an 'old man' to Zhuzhen, his eyes possessed a sharpness that belied a still agile mind.

"Welcome back, Zhuzhen. Nice to meet you ladies." As he spoke to us, his wizened features became doubtful for a moment. "Strange..." He shook his head, casting whatever trouble thought he'd had away. "I've been so bored lately. Today's Trials were quite a pleasant change. I'll give you back your power and items now. I've added something for finishing the Trials."

My magic rushed back to me, unbounded. It was so powerful I felt light-headed for a moment and came back to myself to hear Zhuzhen saying, "...we don't have much time for a joyful reunion. This place isn't safe."

Xifa snorted. "I don't care how much strength Dehuai has...he can't break through this seal so easily. Just as I cannot leave it, he cannot come in."

Then why had Zhuzhen brought us here? I wondered. And why had Zhen been so worried? But then I realized; Xifa had not seen his old student in at least fifteen years. Like Zhuzhen had not known about Shanghai's change, Xifa did not know about Dehuai's.

Master Xifa was looking at me curiously. Noticing his gaze, I came out of my thoughts and introduced myself. "It's an honor to meet you, Master Xifa. I'm Alice."

"Ah! So you're the blue-eyed prophet I've heard so much about," he said with a knowing smile. "My, you **do** have incredible power... No wonder Dehuai is drooling over you... He probably would succeed in his Valorization if he had you in his possession."

A...prophet? Was that really how people saw me? Was that what Zhuzhen thought of me? My throat was dry and I swallowed. "My father lost his life protecting me from a warlock with similar plans, in a country far away...Tell me..." _If I'm a prophet, why couldn't I do anything?_ "Why do people like Dehuai attempt such awful things?"

I couldn't ask my real question. It would either seem rude or plaintive. Besides, the answer was obvious to me. I was no prophet. I only half-listened as Xifa gave his explanation:

"The reason is simple. They believe they are superior beings, but are the sons of humans not also human? They're motivated by vengeful hearts... They sacrifice many victims to their idol of revenge. I'm sure Dehuai hasn't fully considered how the Demon's Gate Invocation might change the world. Or course, I don't know what would happen, either... but it must be stopped. ...Oh, I almost forgot. There was something you came for, wasn't there? Xiaofang!"

"Yes, Meowster?" Xiaofang asked. He had been fidgeting as we talked and seemed very happy to have been called on.

"There's a Votive Picture tablet of the White Tiger on the back shelf. Please fetch it for me."

"Gotcha!" The cat ran over to the bed and searched the shelf next to it. "Ah, here it is. I found it, meow!" But as he turned around, from out of nowhere a flash of light bolted down and struck him, startling us all. The boy yowled loudly in pain.

"Wh-what! The barrier may have become slightly weakened by the Trials, but... this cannot be!"

I went to kneel by Xiaofang, but Margarete nearly pulled my arm out of my socket as she yanked me back.

Xiaofang struggled to stand, pulling on the bed's white cloth for support. "M-meowster," he gasped. "Meooww..." His face was screwed up in pain until a light burst from within him; then, his expression sagged. His lips parted in a low laugh that was not his. It was Dehuai's.

"Long time no see, Master Xifa. I've finally made it inside your seal!"

"Bastard!" Zhuzhen shouted, "What have you done with Xiaofang?"

"Too late! The Votive Picture of the White Tiger is mine!"

But what about Xiaofang? His eyes seemed to be frozen in a state of terror, pupils set wide. Dehuai was tormenting him by manipulating his body.

"Zhuzhen!" Xifa called. "Give me a healing talisman. We must seal the entire temple!"

Dehuai cackled from within the cat's body, amused at our plight. "I'll bring this temple down around your heads before you can!"

There was the scream of a child as the light ripped away from Xiaofang's form. The light spread to encompass the whole room and the ground shook, sending books falling from the shelves. At the same moment, the feline boy dropped to the floor in a mess of limbs. His eyes were glassy...he had been dead the moment Dehuai had left his body.

* * *

A/N: Bad place to leave off? Well, you should know what happens after this.

Since no one asked about the cross, I'll put off an explanation until Kuihai (next chapter). That chapter should actually be shorter so...if you have a question, ask it now and I'll answer it there. :p

This chapter has changed some things about Wuhan, like the layout of the Trials. So…it's a little more A/U. lol

P.S. After trying to upload once—Word almost gave me heart attack about it not being able to read my disk, with no backup copies. O.o****


	6. Kuihai: Storm, Fire, and Quake

Alice…Alice…

Someone was driving a knife into my head every heartbeat. I moaned and turned my head aside. Metal as cold and hard as ice pressed against my cheek, but at the same time my hair was covered by another's head. Some strands fell onto my frozen cheek as the other person nuzzled closer. Xiaofang?

Please…wake up…Alice…

_My head hurts,_ I told Koudelka. _Leave me alone._

Xiaofang nuzzled even closer and I frowned. Why couldn't I hear his purr?

"Alice…" a voice croaked, inches from my ear. A woman's.

I drew away before turning around. I was sitting on a hard mattress full of lumps. Instead of Xiaofang there lay Koudelka, straitjacketed so she could not have shaken me awake.

"Is there a problem?"

The woman frowned. "Bacon said…uai's tri…captured you…"

"I haven't been captured." I shook my head. "Why did he say that? I'm at the Wuhan temple, actually, I just finished a trial with Xiao—oh," I murmured, suddenly remembering the way his body had dropped, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "Oh." Xiaofang was dead. Dehuai had possessed him—killed him—and then…

…nothing. I must have been struck on the head; it would help explain this awful migraine. Dehuai had already broken the seal with Roger Bacon's help. If Roger Bacon was saying I was captured. I probably was. And what had happened to Margarete and Zhuzhen?

"Alice…the world…in danger," Koudelka breathed. Bound in the straitjacket and curled up, she seemed so small, though I knew her power was one of the greatest I'd seen. She was using so much of her energy to contact me, she must want me to do something.

"What should I do?"

"Call…sha…tell…"

"Call who?" I asked, forcing a smile. What did she expect him to do? Rescue me, after he had said Bacon's murder of my father had been justified in my capture?

"Sasha…he'll…"

"Who knows where he is," I said. "And who knows why he'd help. He's insane, Koudelka."

"If you'll…he will…"

"He won't do anything!" I winced as the migraine grew worse. Now the knife was hacking my brain to bits. "The only reason he helped me was because he wanted revenge," I said slowly. "You can call him more easily. You know how to get him worked up. I don't want anything more to do with him. And…I'll get out of this one myself."

Koudelka was lying on her back, the only comfortable position in which she could watch my face. At this her eyelids lowered in disappointment. Her face's color matched the dingy white sheets covering the bed. She was very exhausted, and here I was rejecting the advice she'd gone through all the trouble of giving. "I'm sorry, Koudelka."

Her lips pulled up for a second, but the brief resemblance resembled a grimace more than a smile. "Tried…both…are stubborn…" A breathy sigh came out before she turned her head away, and the room turned black.

This time I could tell I was awake because I was hanging upright—a painful position I was sure Koudelka would not have put me in. I opened my eyes and saw a blur. Everything was moving, and one blur was coming towards me. There was the thud of a wooden leg on the floor every other second. Dehuai.

I tested my magic, to see if I could call forth the energy to attack him…but I felt nothing.

He chuckled. "You'll find I control your magic now. The machine will siphon off your magic. It provides some reserve energy…keeps you in your place for the ceremony."

A machine? I tried to look at what I was strapped to. It seemed a long, narrow X with two thick black tubes extending from the front. I craned my neck to see what was behind, but failed. My arm was turning prickly from the cold machine and lack of circulation and I realized something was missing. Two things, from the absent weight around my neck.

"Where is my cross?" I demanded.

Dehuai snorted. "I've heard from Roger Bacon. I won't let some heathen magic interfere."

I had felt my father's spirit in it, but I had never seen it produce magic. What was he talking about? A mass of brown caught my eye. My trench coat was rumpled where it lay, in a corner of the room. "My coat has no magic," I muttered.

The warlock leered as he answered, "Ah, that I removed to make sure you were the woman I was looking for." As he spoke one of his steel claws lighted on my collarbone, trailing down and across to rest on top my breast. The blade was sharp enough that the slight pressure made blood well up where he had touched.

"G-get your hand off me!"

He removed the claw, but the smirk never left his face as he walked away. Clunk. Clunk.

I shivered out of cold and fear. Dehuai was not only a madman, but a lecher! All because of the bustier. I was never wearing one of these horrible contraptions again.

That brought me to the other contraption I was trapped in. My hands were bound at the wrist and my feet were held together by another band of metal.

Attempts to pull my hand out of the restraint made my wrist resemble raw meat; but after I had stopped struggling, white sparks rose from the exposed blood and healed the wound.

I looked down at my chest and saw the claw mark was nothing more than a white line. Hopefully it wouldn't be a scar.

What was I supposed to do? I couldn't use my magic, I couldn't move—even if Koudelka had called Sasha, I doubted he would help. Or be able to.

That left Zhuzhen and Margarete, who were probably buried under the ruins of Wuhan. Dehuai wouldn't have let them escape.

And Xiaofang, and Master Xifa…they were all dead. My eyes prickled as hot tears poured out. It was an awful way to go. Even then…I hadn't been able to help anyone.

_"So this is his choice? A helpless little girl?"_

_"You're only human…it's not your fault."_

Remembering Sasha's words, I knew which was true. It was all my fault. I was a helpless little girl. Why? Why hadn't I sensed Dehuai in time? If I had, Xiaofang might've been saved, and the temple wouldn't have been destroyed…now there was nothing I could do but hang here and wait for a ceremony that could destroy the world.

The tears slowed to a trickle, then stopped. My headache had died down to an occasional throb. I felt strangely exhausted, too tired to lift my head. The machine behind me thrummed with power, mine. Leech. I was attached to a leech of metal and spells. And it was making me…so very tired…

"Move it!"

"No pushing!"

"OW!"

"…that woman says she saw it. It looked like a bird—"

"—it was a man—"

"C'mon Petey, let me in, will ya?"

"Margarete?" I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see over the man in front of me. A shriek erupted from me when two hands suddenly hoisted me into the air. From this new vantage point I could see Margarete in a heated argument with a distinguished brown-haired gentleman. His long, droopy face seemed familiar.

"Paradise is not a place for harlots—"

"Alright, buddy, you call me harlot one more time and I'm gonna—"

I was lowered and turned around to see Sasha. He was grinning. "Loves to argue, doesn't she? I heard she's been holding up the line for hours now. Zhuzhen's getting exasperated."

"Margarete and Zhuzhen—they're alive?" I said in disbelief. I had seen Margarete with my own eyes, but I was doubting them; how could this be?

The fighter laughed. "Oh come on. You can't be here if you're in denial."

"About what?"

"Your death. That's why there's only about a million or so right now." He jabbed his thumb backwards, and I looked to see a line that stretched out forever across a white expanse. "You'd be surprised how long it takes for most people to come to terms."

"What happened?" I gasped.

His brown eyes widened as he regarded me. "Shit. You're serious? You were only, y'know, in the ceremony and all…"

"Dehuai's ceremony?"

"That'd be the one," he answered with a heavy tone of sarcasm. "Must've drugged you or something. He's already in hell. Omnicide seems to get you top priority around here."

"O-omnicide?"

"Blew the world to bits, I'd say that constitutes omnicide. I was in the sea when it happened, so I got steamed alive. Or maybe boiled. Never gonna eat lobsters again. I feel kinda sorry for them now."

"…Sasha, you can't eat anything anymore," I reminded him.

"Right, right! I keep forgetting that. Damn, that means I can't drink anymore, either!"

So at the gates of Paradise Sasha was mourning the earthly pleasures he'd lost. I thought he had a lot more to worry about, like his chances of actually getting inside heaven. But I couldn't possibly say that to him.

"So—everything's dead?" I asked. "Animals too?"

"Yeah. I don't know how anything would live through that. Maybe cockroaches—they live through everything." Sasha burst into a toothy grin as he thought of something. He turned back and cupped his hands over his mouth. "FOXIE!" he yelled, nearly drowning out Margarete's threat to stuff a grenade down Saint Peter's pants.

A man in a green army coat walked alongside the line. It was the man from the Fengtian sewers; though dead he still wore the white fox mask. "What?" he asked Sasha.

"Let's start another betting pool on whether cockroaches lived or not."

"Idiot," the man replied derisively. "Of course they didn't."

"Then I say they did," Sasha answered. Annoyed, the man flipped him off and started back down the line, but not before Sasha had returned the gesture. He faced me and raised an eyebrow to mimic my expression. "What?"

"Another?"

"Yeah, the first is on whether you'll be blamed for this mess too." My mouth fell open in astonishment, wanting to protest, but Sasha cut me off. "The argument is that it's your fault for not developing your powers enough to stop him. You know, parable of the talents and the ten virgins."

I knew. The parable of the talents was about a master who had given three servants talents, a type of money; the first two had doubled the amount given to them, but the third had done nothing with the money. That servant had lost the talent given to him. My power was of God; I should have been strengthening it for the Lord's purpose. The ten virgins had been guests to a wedding. Five didn't make it, because they had no oil for their lamps. They hadn't been prepared. Neither had I.

"Hey, hey. Don't be so glum. We all betted on heaven," Sasha told me, indicating the people in front of me: Xifa, Margarete, and Zhuzhen.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I'm just making sure I win either way."

"How do you win if I go to Hell?"

"Well, I figure I'm going down there too, so we could share a pit…" he trailed off suggestively, with a small smile.

"So you can be my personal tormentor?"

"Ouch." Sasha made a most adorable pout, as if it had really hurt. "That sounded like something Quihua would say. You better not be picking up her shi—OW!"

This time the pain was genuine, as Quihua, who was standing right behind him, had kicked him hard in the back of his knee. Catching my eye the Chinese woman shook her head at the fallen man's idiocy before turning back to her father.

"Dummy," Margarete commented as she walked past. The blonde spy was scowling fiercely as she stomped down the line; apparently she had found Saint Peter impossible to persuade. The line shifted up one, then stopped again: this time both Zhuzhen and Xifa were quarreling with the gatekeeper now. I examined the man again and realized he reminded me of Father O'Flaherty, the man my father had worked with when I was a young child.

"Looks like he doesn't like heathens," said Sasha. "I'm definitely not getting in." He shrugged. "Oh well."

"Don't you want to go to heaven?" I asked, astonished by his nonchalance. "Your mother is there, isn't she?"

"Yeah…at least, she should be. If she isn't I'm going to have a serious talk with old Petey here." A smile lasted half a minute on his face before flickering. "I don't want to see her."

"You don't?"

"If I did, do you think I'd be a criminal?"

He had a point. "But she gave her life for you."

The Harmonixer was silent. Quiet enough that we could hear Margarete's and Foxie's war whoops could be heard while they were still half a mile down the winding line. At a quarter of a mile the cries stopped, but not even a glutton could have swallowed Margarete's broad grin.

"Bet you they're up to no good," Sasha offered.

"Sasha, I **know** they're up to no good."

The duo stopped by us, hiding behind Quihua and Zhen. Even Foxie's mask seemed to smirk. "Good, he's distracted." Margarete chuckled and then they tore off, veering away from Saint Peter's view.

"What are they going to do?" I wondered.

"I think Margarete's got something in her jacket."

She and Fox Face knelt by the gates, bent over something. Just what were they planning?

"Next," Father O'Flaherty- Saint Peter- bellowed. Zhuzhen and Xifa both looked distressed as they walked away. There was no one else in front of me. "Next!" His stern gaze settled on me, forcing me to walk those few last steps to stand in front of him.  
_  
Don't think of the betting pool don't think of the talents don't think_

"Elliot, Alice."

I meant to say 'yes'. Instead I squeaked, my mind full of fire and brimstone. Behind me I could hear Sasha's laughing fit. The gatekeeper glared at me. I flashed back to when I had met Father O'Flaherty as a small five-year-old and was under the impression that he was some sort of divine bogeyman sent to punish disobedient little girls. I was getting the same feeling all over again with Saint Peter.

"Well then," he said in a disapproving tone, "Tell me how you died."

"I-I don't remember," I stammered. "I slept through it, you see, I think" What could I say? He already knew how I'd died, what did he ask for? As my stomach made its own noose I glanced at Margarete and Fox Face, desperate for a reprieve.

Saint Peter's gaze followed mine and his sallow cheeks flushed red. "What do you two think you are DOING!"

"Busted!" shouted Margarete. She and her partner redoubled their efforts as she chanted, "Set it set it set it!" Peter was storming towards them, spewing self-righteous invective that called the pair many unkind things. The two broke away just as Peter grabbed at Fox Face; the masked man slipped easily out of the long coat and ran as there was a deafening BOOM.

Saint Peter flew several feet, I fell back into Sasha's arms, and Foxie pitched forward, somersaulted, and continued running in his graceful, fluid movement. The spy was already out of sight, probably hidden in the crowd that surged towards the hole in the gates.

"...they just bombed the Pearly Gates," I murmured in dazed surprise.

The Harmonixer chuckled. "And she says she's not a terrorist."

For a crowd of over a million people, they filed through the gates in a matter of minutes. I spend the time waiting for the ringing noise to stop.

"Yuri!"

I felt Sasha lift his head and did the same. There was a woman standing in the gate's new hole, one hand resting on a crooked bar as she leaned out.

Sasha's arms tightened around me. "Mom…"

The woman smiled with bliss. "Yuri, I'm so glad you're back." With her reddish-brown hair, I could see how she was Sasha's mother. She tucked a strand back behind her ear and walked forward, her arms extended towards Sasha.

Despite his earlier reluctance, Sasha let go of me and stepped towards her. I wasn't surprised. After all, he hadn't seen his mother in fifteen years.

"Do you know where my father is?" I asked. If Sasha's mother was here for him at the gates, why wasn't my father here for me?

Her warm eyes examined me. "Morris Elliot?" I nodded. "I'm sorry dear, he's out on God's business."

"Oh. Then—" I bowed my head. "Then this isn't Paradise."

I was bound by ice again as I woke up. I shivered, my bare arms and legs freezing. I would've much liked to go back to sleep, given the alternative, but I wasn't drowsy anymore.

"Sweet dreams, I trust?"

My heart clenched as Dehuai approached the machine, stopping at a control panel.

"No wonder the machine stopped, the reserves are full. Excellent!" he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. "But there is still time before the preparations are complete. Why don't I test your power?"

So speaking, he pressed a few buttons and then threw down a switch and the machine crackled with lightning. When the energy had gone out of me it had healed me; but now it returned with a vengeance. I screamed at the pain. It was not as excruciating as Li Li's magic, blessing and curse: it hurt less, but I was still conscious and aware that more was to come. And as long as I was in here, there was no way to fight back.

Dehuai's finger hovered over the panel when I struck on an idea. It was a mad idea that only a lunatic would try. It was also my only hope.

"You know," I said, trying to imitate Margarete's sultry purr, "this machine is pretty sexy." The words tasted foul in my mouth, but it stopped Dehuai. He turned a laconic eye on me.

"You must be a masochist. Here, enjoy this." He activated the machine again. This time the agony lasted longer and I gasped for breath when it was over. I should've known it wouldn't work, he had seen right through it. "Do you take me for a fool?" he asked. "Though I must admit, the idea is tempting…but I enjoy seeing you squirm in pain more," he said, stepping closer.

Childishly I spat at him, watching the spittle trail down his cheek. There was a curious tic under his left eye as he stared up at me. Razor claws slashed down my cheek and I cried out as the cold air stung my face.

"You damned heathens," he growled as he stumped back to the control panel. "So smug you think you can take over China. This is exactly why we need the Reverse Demon's Gate Invocation!"

I had little idea what he was ranting about. Politics only interested me if there was an exorcism involved, which was rarely the case. I couldn't even guess who exactly he meant by 'heathens'. Something else had caught my attention though.

"Why is it a reverse invocation?"

I was afraid for a second he might hurt me for the question, but instead he smirked, revealing sharp, yellowed teeth. "Because we are not bringing a god to life; we are bringing back a fallen god."

"'We' are not doing anything," I ground out.

"Your attitude disappoints me. You should be honored…but I suppose a heathen could not begin to comprehend the significance of this ritual."

"Other than you'll probably blow up the world, not really," I tossed back, my ire rising. To treat me as a heathen when he was doing something that might destroy all of creation!

His smirk turned even uglier as it twisted into a scowl. "I'll break that attitude of yours, woman." The switch was turned on and when I screamed, the pain began a crescendo, filling my entire body—how could my own magic hurt me so much?—and then my mind crumbled.

"Alice…Alice…"

My bones ached. I had the feeling I could not possibly move without falling apart, but slowly I did, choking on tears.

Koudelka's face was wan and tired. Was she sick? "Koudelka?"

Her face flickered and I realized her eyes were opened, ever so slightly.

"I'm here," she breathed.

"What's wrong, Koudelka? Are you ill?" I placed a hand on her forehead, forgetting it was a dream, and was surprised to find that I could feel her clammy forehead.

"I've used…a lot…my pow…fine…"

"Don't worry, she's a tough old witch."

Sasha's hand covered mine as he also touched Koudelka's forehead. "Besides, she could just stop giving me a migraine," he added ruefully.

My hand shot back and I stared at him. "You're—Koudelka called you—you're bleeding!"

"No, no, it's dried," he said, his hand moving to cover the tear in his shirt, "or at least, drying. Koudelka healed it."

"Who did that to you?" I asked. The blood stained too much fabric for his hand to possibly cover it all.

Sasha shook his head. "That's not important. Koudelka said you needed my help."

My eyebrows drew together. It wasn't important that it looked like someone had taken a knife to his chest? I wondered why my dream had made him so amiable when he was such an aggravation in real life. "Not like you would want to help me. You just want revenge."

"How the fuck does it matter why I want to help you?"

"Because you say it like you're actually worried about me."

"Well then, maybe I should just kick his sorry ass and leave you locked up wherever you are," Sasha said idly.

I never believed for a moment that he was serious, but I was in no mood for jests either. "Don't be such a fool," I snapped. "As if you could defeat Dehuai."

"A—Alice," the witch murmured, her eyes opening in her alarm. She had expected me to ask for help.

"No!" Why did she want Sasha to go so much? He wasn't strong enough to defeat Dehuai. "You'd be sending him to his death!"

"And what makes you so sure I'd lose?" Sasha retorted. "Wugui was easy enough."

"Your father beat Wugui too, didn't he? Look what happened to him! Zhuzhen, Margarete, Xifa—they're all dead—and Xiaofang! What can you do on your own!"

An angry flush touched Sasha's cheeks. "I'll show you," he answered. "I'm going."

His eyes grew dark, and the strands of his hair, even his skin. The last thing I saw as everything turned black was the bold stain on his shirt.

I was awakened by a surge of electricity that drew a scream from my lips. There was faint laughter and I opened my eyes to see Dehuai's wizened features. "Time to awake. The time is almost upon us!"

I remained silent. The wake-up call had been bad enough without being repeated.

"Why so quiet? You were very bold before. Or are you ignoring me?" he asked in a dangerous tone. All my muscles tensed as the Adept approached me, his good eye scanning my entire body. "You have caused me a lot of trouble, but you could be useful in more than one way."

I could already tell what he was thinking as he eyed the white ruffles on the bustier's bottom. "Don't touch me," I said. My voice shook from both fear and rage.

He smiled and tapped my chin with his claw so I was forced to keep my head up. The claw prodded me to turn each way. I felt his eye size me up as if I were some animal.

A light chuckle. "You are scared."

I closed my eyes as I felt his real hand touch my inside thigh. _Get away from me. _I tried to say it, but my tongue felt as though it were stuck to the roof of my mouth. _Stop it stop it get AWAY—_

There was a low rumble, and then a guttural shriek- I started and opened my eyes. What was that? A monster?

Dehuai swung around, his peg leg landing heavily on the metal floor. "That damned traitor!" he snarled. "Doesn't he know when to cut his losses?" The warlock stopped and listened; we could both hear a second shriek, one which sounded very human. "Hmph. The Yamaraja will make short work of him." But in spite of his own words, he hurried to the machine's controls and examined them, apparently wanting to get through the ceremony without any interruptions.

I sighed and shifted my arms as much as possible. They were sore from how long I had been hanging. I was grateful that Dehuai had been distracted, but if Sasha was really trying to fight a Yamaraja on his own, he would be slaughtered. Was he just looking to throw away his life?

Dehuai fiddled with the controls for a few minutes before walking to a set of stairs on my right side. The staircase must have circled behind me, because I could hear the peg leg pounding on each step behind me.

It was getting closer…the time of the ceremony. It might not work- my magic might not be strong enough- but either way I would be dead once everything was over. And Sasha would be too; his aura was steadily weakening. If he couldn't defeat the Yamaraja, how could he possibly stop Dehuai? Why had Koudelka been so determined to bring him here?

Unexpectedly, I felt the demon's aura flicker, like a candle flame. Someone had leveled a powerful flame spell against it. Did Sasha have a fire fusion? Or…was someone else helping him?

I had a new hope. If someone was helping him, maybe they would have a chance. But that Yamaraja could not be the only guard Dehuai had, and if Dehuai's preparations were finished soon, they would not be in time.

I was so tense from the heady mix of fear and hope my right calf cramped up. I hung on the machine for what seemed an eternity, expecting Dehuai's return any moment.

Eventually he did return. The wizard gave the instruments a last, cursory glance, then turned to me. "Time to begin."

"Alice!"

My heart rose so quickly I almost choked. I looked down the stairs. Sasha had called my name, but I first saw who had helped him defeat the Yamaraja.

"Margarete! Zhuzhen!"

Besides the spy and Adept, Sasha frowned. "The hell am I, chopped liver?" he asked.

Dehuai snorted and approached the top step of the staircase, leering down at them. "Congratulations," he said sarcastically. "You've made it to the top, despite rather heavy security! But no matter. You are too late!"

Zhuzhen walked forward, leaning heavily on his staff. "You never change, Dehuai. I'm ashamed to have a brother who's twice strayed from the right path. So, I figured I'd deliver those last rites I failed to deliver fifteen years ago."

The wizard laughed. "Still alive, eh, Zhuzhen? You look a bit unsteady though." He snorted as Zhuzhen wavered for a moment, wincing in pain. "No, you will lose, just as you did fifteen years ago. I'll make you beg for mercy- if you survive," he added cruelly. "This Invocation is quite different from last time, you see."

"There's not going to be an Invocation," Sasha declared.

"Detestable harmonixer…son of that monster, Hyuga! You could have lived, but like your father, you defy me. Kuihai tower will be your grave!" he snarled.

From our platform above my companions, Dehuai began an incantation, summoning a demon. Before Sasha could make it up the stairs, a green-furred monster appeared at the top. It growled and charged the fighter. Half the creature's size, if that, Sasha was forced down by the monster's sheer bulk.

A gunshot rang out and the beast howled before erupting into flames. Zhuzhen's magic didn't seem to harm the Fire-classed beast much, but it gave Sasha enough time to fuse. I winced at the horrible scream from him. He sounded like he was in a lot of pain.

As the hulking green monster continued to push them back down the stairs, I lost sight of the battle. Dehuai stood at the top of the staircase; an ugly sneer contorted his features as he watched the fight. Margarete's gunfire kept up a steady rate and from the chorus of growls and shrieks I could tell Sasha's fusion was going toe-to-toe with the monster.

I kept an eye on Dehuai's expression to track who was winning. The cocky sneer had faded. His forehead was creased as he thought out his next move- his monster would not be victorious. His clawed hand trembled with rage. Dehuai would not let anyone destroy his plans, and yet it seemed he had run out of minions. He would fight them next.

I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the sounds of battle. _Please God, _I pleaded, _keep them safe. Help them win._ They had to win, if He had saved them from being crushed in Wuhan temple; it seemed the first miracle He'd wrought in this nightmare.

The creature screamed and its body fell to the floor with a sickening thud. The tall monster I could just see, his head and shoulders licked by flames, disappeared to show Sasha's face. He was panting from exertion but taunted Dehuai: "What's with these small fry? They won't even buy you time!"

"Ah, but it wouldn't be fun if I didn't try!" the warlock answered. Satisfied that Sasha was indeed exhausted from his fusion, Dehuai turned and approached me. "And now," he enthused, "It is time for the Valorization to begin-!"

Oh, no. My throat was completely dry. This couldn't be true; they hadn't come so far just to be moments too late.

"H-hey old timer, Valorization went out of style a long time ago!" protested Margarete. She was ignored as Dehuai stood in front of the control panel.

"Alice!" He had a triumphant smirk. And why not? He had won. "The time to awaken the power that sleeps within you has come! The four gods are sealed!" From past the stairs I could hear Sasha's cry of pain, signaling a new fusion. I didn't see what it was, my eyes riveted on Dehuai's ugly face. "I call upon thee with storm, fire, and quake! Let the Valorization commence!"

He pressed a button and the machine whirred to life. Suddenly I could feel the drain, not just on my magic- but on my life. I screamed at the pain of both being torn from me and heard my scream mingle with Sasha's shriek of rage. My eyes were screwed up in the pain. For a short while I struggled in the machine in a last, desperate attempt to escape, but after a few moments I lacked the energy to even cry out. The initial pain had passed; my magic was completely gone and I could dimly sense a new aura that dwarfed all others: Dehuai's god. It rose as the yells and screams and gunshots continued, feeding off of my life. I only dangled from my restraints. Everything was cold, the metal floor was turning to black; even the sounds of battle, which had to be loud, sounded as if it came from miles away…this was the end…Dehuai's god was coming…with death.

A distant roar made me realize just how quiet the last moment had been. There was a crash and the machine's drain ceased. I opened my eyes and saw blue, glittering scales. The lizard-like fusion soul in front of me shifted on his feet constantly- and everything else shifted too. The cuffs around my wrists and ankles opened with a click and I fell forward into the fusion's arms. I was already shivering, and the fusion made me feel even colder. But it was impossible to stand or move away. I wanted warmth, needed it, so that when the fusion disappeared I clung to Sasha and basked in his bare skin's warmth.

"Woah, I kind of like that- Oh." A note of surprise and panic had entered Sasha's voice. "Oh fuck, Alice, you're really freezing. Alice?"

"You're warm," I murmured, finding the words hard to push past my chattering teeth.. He shifted to look at Zhuzhen and Margarete and I staggered. Sasha tightened his grip.

"She's had all the life sucked out of her," Zhuzhen noted, alarmed.

"You're telling me, she's colder than a corpse!"

He sounded panicky. That wasn't very much like him. But before I could even think of mentioning this, Sasha was kneeling and laying me out along the floor. Sasha threw a chain over my head—it must have been my father's cross, because it felt warm and gave me a sense of peace. Zhuzhen's hands, slightly clammy, rested on my forehead as he chanted. Margarete laid the trench coat over me. "Come on Alice, keep your eyes open," she gently prodded.

I shook my head. Every time I tried my eyelids would just sink down again. "You should…go…stop Dehuai…"

"There's nothing I can do," Zhuzhen said gravely. Sasha spat out a bitter expletive and then groaned. In the back of my mind there was a quiet thrum filled with static.

Please… A fire lit in my heart, warming me. Just a little of my strength… her voice spoke, spreading the heat through me to the tips of my fingers. The flames intensified, eating away the awful cold. But just as I felt my strength return, the flames faltered. For a little longer they continued- and then, with another flicker, they died completely.

"Koudelka!" I shouted and sat up. Margarete stared at me.

"Feeling better?" she asked, completely nonplussed for the first time I'd known her. She turned her deep blue eyes on Sasha, still on the floor in pain. "What was that?"

"Koudelka. She was trying to heal me. But she-"

"-fainted," said Sasha, "like she almost made me." At this he winced. "Ah, that hurts. That really hurt. You all right Alice?"

I nodded. "I'm just a bit tired really."

Zhuzhen knelt by me and cast a healing spell. Liquid flames trickled down my throat, bitter but refreshing.

"That stuff is nasty. It burns your throat," Sasha commented.

"I won't heal you next time, then." With a hand on my elbow the Adept helped me up. I was still a bit woozy, not from fatigue but from the dizzying sense of coming so close to death. Sasha also pushed himself off the ground and stood. His face was pale.

"You don't look well."

"Coming from the girl who nearly died."

"You almost died too," Margarete reminded him. "Guess how we found him," she continued, glancing at me with amusement.

"Fighting a Yamaraja on his own, just to prove me wrong."

His face turning pink, Sasha started to speak before grinding his teeth. "If everyone's healed, we have a mad warlock over our heads," he said pointedly.

I nodded, slipping my trench coat on and buttoning it up. That had upset him…though, the only other motive I could attribute to him was revenge. That still wasn't a good reason for him to get himself killed, which he could have if not for Margarete and Zhuzhen. "The machine's transferring energy above, but it's not enough, so we have a little time," I explained, gesticulating as I rapidly searched with my 'demon eyes', "but we need to act soon, or else he might figure out a way…are there other people here?"

"What?" Zhuzhen exclaimed. "No, it's just us."

It felt like there were people very near us. Dehuai's people? I walked to the edge of the platform and looked over the metal railing. Below me two soldiers stood at attention, their rifles held stiffly over their chest.

I gasped and backed away, praying to God they hadn't seen me. Surely they must have heard us though. Margarete raised an eyebrow at my behavior and also looked over.

"Oh." She turned to Zhuzhen and said simply, "Kawashima followed us here."

"What should we do?" I asked.

Sasha cracked his knuckles, seeming cheered by the new predicament. "Beat 'em up, o' course."

"Now hold on a minute," Zhuzhen told him. The elder shook his head. "That's right, neither of you two know. The smugglers were spies from the Japanese army."

"We knew they were fishy, right, Alice?" Margarete said to me.

I nodded, feeling a little shaky. "S-so what are they here for?"

"To help us, I guess. They're the ones that dug us out of the Wuhan ruins. We both have Dehuai as our enemy. They won't harm us. In fact…" The spy leaned over the railing, her thick blonde hair weaving in and out of the bars. She called the soldiers' attention and spoke in Japanese.

"We don't have time to be shopping," Sasha muttered.

"Hey, dummy, you're the one who used our last mana leaf. We're about fresh out of healing herbs." Margarete turned to Zhuzhen. "They've got supplies, but they're gonna make us pay."

Zhuzhen sighed. "So much for 'help'." They both started down the stairs and I followed.

Sasha's light steps were not far behind. I wondered what I should say to him, if anything. I knew Zhuzhen and Margarete were happy to see me well…was he? When I had practically kicked him out at Shanghai?

That had been his own fault though. He was the one who said my father's death was…but if he thought death was fine, why had he sounded so worried just moments before?

Zhuzhen began his purchase, with Margarete serving as translator. Sasha was standing next to me, and when I opened my mouth to speak-

"So how are you holding up?" he asked. "You just got the life sucked out of you."

"I'm really fine, since Koudelka healed me."

"Did Dehuai do anything?"

"Why are you so worried?"

I cupped a hand over my mouth. I hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Sasha folded his arms. The clothes he had gotten in Shanghai were now quite ragged, especially his red shirt, soiled, torn, with the large rip blossoming in blood.

"You look like you've had enough to worry about," I added, hoping to soften my words.

"This isn't much. Didn't even go in right."

"Didn't go in right-?" The meaning of his words hit me. I could feel the blood draining from my face. "Oh, Sasha, you didn't-"

"Yeah, I did. And Koudelka forced a healing on me. Now did Dehuai do anything? And don't tell me 'nothing', I've known the bastard for fifteen years."

"There's nothing on my face, then?" Dehuai had slashed me on the cheek- I thought Sasha, or someone, would have noticed it by now.

Sasha surveyed my face closely. "This?" He touched the side of my face gingerly and I winced, expecting pain but not feeling any. "It's just a little lighter than the rest of your skin. If you were any paler I'd say you were a vampire."

I relaxed, glad that the scar wasn't obvious. Sasha's fingers, rough as sandpaper, lingered on my cheek. Glancing at him, I reassured myself that his eyes were still brown, not amber nor crimson red. He caught my gaze and flushed red.

"Sorry," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry."

"Sasha? Are you all right?" His mood seemed to be changing precariously.

"…and why are you worried about me? I thought you were mad at me."

I bit my lip. "And just because I'm mad, I can't be worried?"

Sasha chuckled and turned away. "All right. Well, I've been either haunted or hallucinating…got shredded by a Yamaraja…got whacked by a monsters- never mind- …I've had better days. I'm glad though," he added suddenly.

"For what?"

"Hey kiddos!" Margarete called. Sasha started and looked at her like she had appeared from nowhere. "We've got everything, let's go!"

"You up to fighting?" Sasha asked me. I nodded and he chewed his lips, thinking as we climbed the stairs. "All right, but stay behind me or Margarete. You get hurt and we're down a healer."

He really was concerned for me. I laughed and shook my head. "I'll never understand you."

"Good, 'cause I don't understand myself either."

With that, he took the last few steps up to the roof and disappeared. I followed.

Dehuai stood in the center of a massive seal. Its insidious design in dark blood red and black covered nearly all of the roof, except for the corners. In each corner a metal spire stood, directed skywards into the tower's center.

"It's over, Dehuai," Sasha stated confidently. "You don't have enough energy for your god, and you're not going to get more."

Dehuai cackled, even now unafraid. "Fool! The time is at hand!"

I quickly looked around, but nothing seemed to be changing. Zhuzhen had a look of astonishment as he murmured, "The Mandela of Hell is drawn! The Vessels of Gods of the Four directions face the heavens! So this is why you soiled the Nine Heavens' most sacred ground…" With each statement he directed more of his attention and voice to Dehuai. "The most secret magic of all…I understand now, Dehuai. Even I understand now…"

"Correct!" the other Adept said. "The ultimate skill of Nine Heavens' Taoist magic! The Reverse Demon's Gate Invocation!" As he spoke light gathered from the spires above him, but Dehuai himself glowed a bright red. He cackled as I heard Margarete reloading another cartridge. "Prepare yourself, traitor! The power of heaven- the power of GOD fills my body! Let us settle the score, before I create a new world!"

I clutched the Tome of the Moon as the red energy swallowed up Dehuai's body and grew, into a monstrous shape. Margarete shot the head, her pullet piercing the layer and revealing the demon inside.

A fearsome set of claws reached towards Margarete as a huge monster charged her. She fired off another shot before the Yamaraja struck.

I cried out when I saw the spray of blood, but something more horrifying was happening. Instead of blood, a shower of pebbles sprayed across the rooftop with a clatter. Margarete herself stood rigid, a gray statue.

_Oh my dear god,_ a voice in my head gibbered. The Yamaraja raised his hand high above her head, about to smash the statue- then a large bird swooped into my view, its claws out for the demon's eyes. The Yamaraja shrieked and grabbed one of the bird's talons and pulled the bird down with a huge tug. Zhuzhen in the meantime had run to Margarete and struck her statue with a fang. The stone on her skin chipped and fell away, showing Margarete beneath the layer. She grasped her wound and Zhuzhen began to heal it. I remembered the bird- Sasha. He had changed fusions again, back to the monster swathed in flames. Three of his four arms pummeled the Yamaraja; the fourth hung limp and useless.

"**Cure**," I said, focusing on the limb. Sasha lifted it and his attack became stronger, more focused.

Margarete and Zhuzhen were both fine. Time, then, for an offense. Focusing on the five-horned demon, I cast Blessed Light. The demon recoiled from the blow, white sparks piercing its coarse black fire. Gunfire rang out as Margarete took advantage of the monster's pain.

The tall demon growled when another bullet pinged against his hard horn. Sweat dripped down my face as flames rose around us in a wall and blocked the demon from view. Instead of the Yamaraja I found myself staring at a dragon's head, composed completely of flame.

It hovered over us menacingly, but there was some portion of my mind wondering why Dehuai's dragon did not resemble a Chinese dragon. It looked more like a European one. Then its mouth opened and all thought fled. I tried to dodge, but its fiery breath burned my legs. I fell and grit my teeth against the raw pain. I cast my healing spell, hearing Zhuzhen casting his own for Margarete. She and Sasha continued to attack Dehuai together,Sasha having suffered little harm from the fire. But the demon's overwhelming size made it difficult for Sasha to fight him and his thick dark skin took much of the damage from Margarete's bullets. The demon struck back at Sasha with a vengeance. On one swipe, the magic within his claws took effect; the flames of Sasha's fusion were extinguished as his skin turned gray. I saw Zhuzhen run forward to heal the ailment, but the Yamaraja turned and struck him hard. Zhuzhen fell on his back, already petrified.

Margarete swore and called to me. "Alice! I'll draw him back, you see if you can get the imp fangs!"

Imp fangs? I nodded and Margarete fired at the creature's crown, taunting it to catch her as she backed away. As soon as Dehuai turned away, I approached Zhuzhen. When I touched the bag at his side, I discovered that everything he had held had turned to stone with him. There was no way I could get the imp fang.

"Alice, hurry up!" the spy shouted. She had been boxed into a corner and was quickly unloading her gun on the demon.

I placed my hands on the hard folds of Zhuzhen's robes and concentrated. Since this was done by magic, couldn't I heal it with my own? "**Cure**," I whispered, fervently hoping it'd work.

Nothing happened. "Hold on!" What could I do? My father could heal natural poisons, but magical ailments?

I closed my eyes to focus. Focus on the magic that had cursed Zhuzhen and how I could purge it. Behind me there was a short scream and I shivered but remained still. Margarete was not dead but her aura was different. She must have been petrified as well. Claws scraped against the tower as the demon came back; I had to heal Zhuzhen or it would be all over soon.

My magic finally succeeded. Zhuzhen's robes turned soft and I hastily rooted in his bag to find an imp's fang for Sasha- but just as I grabbed hold, I was lifted into the air by my ankle. When I struggled the large fist tightened around the joint and I stopped, afraid he would break it.

Dehuai's glare at me was interrupted when Zhuzhen's staff hit the demon squarely in the crotch. Howling, he dropped me and the landing scratched up my arms and legs.

"Thank you!" I gasped. The Adept didn't respond, too involved in casting his fire spells at the gargantuan. I clutched the imp fang, nearly dropped before, and looked around. Margarete stood by one of the metal vessels, past Dehuai's hulking form; Sasha was only a few strides away.

Once struck with the magic fang, the stone immediately fell away. Flames sprang up around the Fire-based monster, making me back away. Before I could say or do anything, Sasha fell down and disembodied. His arms were trembling.

I turned around and saw Zhuzhen using all his strength to stave off the monster, only narrowly avoiding its deadly grasp.

"Zhuzhen! He needs a pure leaf," I called as I lifted my tome. Just as he cast his spell, I also cast my Blessed Light spell. The combination knocked the demon to one knee. "I'll hold him off!"

Zhuzhen backed off slowly, apparently leery of leaving me alone, but soon enough my spells were the only things holding Dehuai off. Unable to stop him, they merely slowed his advance. He was soon towering over me- I backed away as he raised his cursed claws, though I was trying to summon a spell I feared it would be too late-

Something hit me hard in the side, knocking all the air out of me. I gasped as Sasha stifled a cry and we both fell to the ground. Zhuzhen's flame spell passed directly over us to his target Dehuai, forcing him back.

"Sasha!"

His back was bleeding, a superficial wound. Before I could heal it, the fighter moved back from me with a smile, disquieting in the fact that I could find no reason for him to be smiling. Amber eyes stared back at me. "Are you fine?"

"Sasha, you-"

"Save it, I gotta take this." Holding up an Imp's fang for me to see, he put the small fang between his teeth and fused into the birdlike fusion from before and flew off.

_You shouldn't be fighting._ The last time I had seen those eyes he had almost killed me and himself. This fight had to end soon. "**Blessed Light**!" I yelled, my voice joining Zhuzhen's. On the other side of the Yamaraja the bird circled the metal vessel and Margarete, trying to land on the narrow strip before the edge.

I summoned all my energy for the next spell, my own and the strength Koudelka and Zhuzhen had given me. At the same moment we cast our spells. The demon Dehuai fell onto one massive knee. A shot rang out, and then he fell flat on the ground, a tremor running through the tower.

Margarete blew the top of her gun's barrel. "Hee hee. I got the last shot." Next to her Sasha disembodied, a scowl on his face. Already weak before the battle, I now felt drained and fell to my knees.

"Are you all right?" Zhuzhen asked, his hand lighting on my shoulder. I nodded.

"Just tired."

Reaching us, Margarete said, "Alice…you shouldn't push yourself so hard."

I smiled at her, to show her I was truly fine. Then I saw Sasha. He had not rejoined us, but was standing over the warlock- and the warlock was trying to rise.

He moaned and spat out blood. "Fifteen years- fifteen years-! My, my dream…how dare you get in my way," he growled, slowly pushing himself up. Sasha put a boot on his back and casually, savagely, pushed him back down.

"Stay down," said the fighter. "I like seeing you writhe in the dirt, Dehuai. You look just like the worm you are."

The warlock laughed. It was a weak, bubbly sound and ended in more blood spat up. "I the worm…and you, b-boy…" Despite his naked fear, his voice still held a note of derision. "What are you, to have served this worm…?"

It was the last thing he said. Sasha drove his claws through the warlock's throat. Then, as if he didn't believe the wounds mortal, kicked the old man over. By the time he pierced the corrupt heart, Dehuai was already dead.

"What were you going to say?" he hissed at the corpse. "What am I, huh?"

"A traitor, of course."

I shook at the voice. Educated, cultured, the epitome of evil, that voice spoke one name.

"At least, that is what Dehuai would have said." Roger Bacon appeared with a haze around him. His icy blue eyes were focused on Sasha. "I've yet to hear you account for yourself."

Sasha stared at Dehuai's corpse, seeming afraid to answer the brusque question. "I…well. I attacked you and killed the guy-" he kicked the corpse "-you were trying to help. I suppose that'd make me a traitor."

_No, no,_ I wanted to say, _that makes you right._

"I'm not so sure," Bacon mused. "You fell to the witch's enticings, yes. I've seen it before. And I was interested in the experiment, not that pitiful ant."

Experiment? Ant? As I heard these words a fury clutched my gut. If he thought Dehuai was an ant he must think the same of us, and if I was so worthless he had killed my father merely for the sake of an experiment. But I could do nothing in my state but watch and listen as Roger Bacon trivialized all the hardships we had gone through.

"The spires still crackle with power…they just need a little more."

"No!" Sasha shouted. Bacon halted the spell he had begun. The outburst had startled him.

"No?" A vague frown appeared on his face. "You mean to sabotage the experiment itself?"

"It's not-" The bedraggled, bloodstained fighter broke off and turned in a circle, his amber eyes searching for something. When they found nothing he turned back to Bacon. "It's not necessary. You don't need it. Your own god- this is nothing to him, right?" His arms swept around to indicate the entire roof, the metal vessels and the Mandela of Hell.

Bacon's own god? Was Bacon planning to bring forth a god, just as Dehuai had tried? I looked at Zhuzhen, but he seemed every bit as surprised as me.

"True. But an analysis of Dehuai's Invocation would greatly assist my own summoning. And if this god can accomplish my purpose, well," he said with a smile that on anyone else would have been charming, "I'll have no complaints."

Opposite of him, Sasha had been silent, considering. He scuffed his boot against the stones. Then his fists tightened and he looked up. "And if he doesn't accomplish what you want, no complaints either, right?"

"I…suppose," Roger answered, his eyes narrowed. It was the first time I had seen him hesitant.

"Then summon him."

"Kiddo, you looking to get us killed?" yelled Margarete, striding forward.

Sasha turned to us and smiled at the angry blonde. "Hopefully not. But fifteen years is a long time to waste, so close to revenge."

"You've got your revenge. Dehuai's dead."

"Half of him was already dead," he answered, nudging the metal claws that had once struck fear into me. Now they lay sprawled, harmless. "And a god was summoned then. My father couldn't control it. But I will."

I stared at him, wondering if he was serious. He intended to fuse with what he considered a god, for…what reason…?

"Your father is dead," Zhuzhen said heavily. "It won't do you any good to one-up him."

"It'd prove I'm stronger than he ever was. Maybe he'd get the hint and not fucking haunt me for his failures." He turned to Roger Bacon. "Now are you gonna finish this experiment anytime soon?"

The seeming gentleman did not make a move but to shake his head. "There's no dissuading you, is there?"

"Not likely. But, don't worry. I'll be back in London in time for tea."

London? Did he mean that Roger Bacon lived close…to my old home?

Bacon regarded Sasha for a moment and then nodded his assent. The warlocks' hands made fists glowing with power, and the spires' crackling grew louder, each spark intensifying. Zhuzhen shouted a curse as the light between the spires culminated, unleashing strong winds, and a god appeared.

The god hung in the air above the tower, held up by its own power and not its wings, which draped down lazily. Its feet dangled down, one nearly touching Dehuai's corpse.

I swallowed, my throat turning dry as I felt the giant's power washing over me. Heedless of the danger, Sasha took off running. He was running to the god.

"Sasha, stop!" I shouted. Zhuzhen, holding me up, was also holding me back. "It's not going to work!" He couldn't fuse with the monster, so much stronger than the other creatures he had used. But who could stop him? My eyes fell on Roger Bacon. "Stop- Stop him!"

The warlock only looked at me. "It's his decision."

I felt ill asking help from my father's murderer, and he had the audacity to look so sad when he was refusing to do anything! I wrenched my eyes away from him, back to the god. Sasha had disappeared, presumably into it, and it seemed calm. Its aura at first seemed to be Sasha's, but then I realized the attempt had been the same as adding a drop of ink to a cup of water. At first the water turned black, but now the ink- Sasha- was fading…

The god's eyes opened and its clawed hands extended. As it languidly stood, I saw for the first time through misty eyes that it had a feminine form.

"Zhuzhen- Zhuzhen, he lost- ah!" I screamed and clapped my hands over my ears as the shriek began- a long, high screech, unleashing waves of power, stronger than ever. The building shuddered and Margarete grabbed my arm, pulling me into a run as Zhuzhen stood. We ran for the stairs. At the top I looked back. For a brief instant I saw the side of Bacon's face; as he gazed up at the god he was- crying?

And then they were gone. Margarete's viselike grip on my hand forced me to run, even if my body felt ready to collapse. With flames all around and the ground shaking beneath them, my legs would have buckled if given enough time to, but the spy never let up. My lungs were burning, especially as smoke entered them and I coughed.

Finally we reached the bottom of the tower and ran out. I fell to the ground, gasping for air, and then got on my knees. The soldiers were already assembled and the female 'smuggler', now dressed in uniform, looked at us. "We need to evacuate. Now."

It was then I realized it was not just Kuihai tower that was on fire. It was the entire city. There were huge clouds of smoke rising up, obscuring the sun. Dehuai's god was gone. People were starting to flood the streets, running from their houses, and I felt my stomach clench. Everyone was panicking, and I could feel that fear flooding into me.

Zhuzhen's eyes took in the destruction. "Not again," he said softly. "I have to find Quihua and Zhen," he said before taking off. Margarete followed, and I also followed, much slower in my fatigue.

"Get her," I heard the woman say. An arm wrapped around my waist while the other lifted me up into the air. My bible hit the man's face, but he easily wrenched it away. It was the man who had accompanied her on the boat, his now bruised chin easily recognizable.

"Let me go! Margarete, Zhuzhen! Put me down!"

The man held me tight and fell into a march behind the other soldiers. When I craned my head to look over his arms, I could not even see Margarete or Zhuzhen in the crowd. There was so much confusion and screaming my shouting would never have reached them.

"We're going to get you out of the city," the man said.

I glared at him. He actually seemed sincere, they were helping me get out because I was too weak, but then again he was just taking orders from his superior, and how should he know what she was thinking?

But then, she also would have been the one to save Zhuzhen and Margarete from the rubble of Wuhan temple. She could not be all that bad. As the heat increased and the sky above filled with more darkness, I grasped my cross, trying to calm down, rubbing its curved ridges- curved?

The cross around my neck was silver, not gold. It was Sasha's mother's cross. I gasped. When I had thought he was putting my father's cross on me, he had put this one…and then…where was my father's cross? I panicked until I realized it had been right on top of my coat, and he could not possibly have missed it. My father's cross was nestled safely in one of the pockets, and I clutched it in my right hand with an immense feeling of relief.

My left hand rested on Sasha's mother's cross. He had tried to give it to me in Shanghai, and it occurred to me it had not been a bribe then, simply a gift. I clutched the cross tight. The warmth of both crosses was soothing. I tried to stay awake, knowing I was not yet out of danger, but it was too late. Exhaustion and fatigue made me fall asleep in the soldier's arms.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I am really sorry about how long it took to update this. Most of it (up until when they run from the tower) has been written since January, but it just never got typed up. Until now. 

And right now I want to thank MikoNoNyte for being patient enough to listen to me babble and then help me understand things like why Shanghai was on fire at the end when SR didn't use fire attacks and how I could make certain plot points work.


	7. Prague: Lost Soul

Zhuzhen and I came back to Prague long after sunset. As we walked beneath the arch, Zhuzhen looked at me and chuckled.

"Another hard day's work, complete!"

It was a joke; all we had done was catch a train, spend a half-hour investigating, and catch another train back. "Yes, and that was too funny! He thought it was a poltergeist? It was just the lady next door doing aerobics!"

Of course, I had also had to heal the man after his neighbor had taken insult at his ghost concerns. Though a bit on the hefty side, she had a mean right hook and had knocked him out when he told her he had thought a poltergeist was causing his pictures to fall off the wall every time she exercised. At least we had collected our fee beforehand.

Zhuzhen chuckled. "Ah, the world's a peaceful place. Anyway, what do you say we get a bite to eat and then unwind a bit?"

"Are you asking me out for a drink?"

"You know me too well!"

It was true. I had gotten to know Zhuzhen very well over the past six months; after all, we had shared a boat ride, and he had been a guest in my house for a short while, and we had started an exorcist business together. And after Margarete had gone alone to investigate Roger Bacon further, we were really the only company each other had. Not that I minded much. It was a most pleasant company.

We passed the guards on the street. In our brief stay we had learned many of their names, and even the fact that one of them was a lottery member. When we reached Homas, asleep on his feet, I gave him a nudge. The guard and lottery member awoke with a start.

"He always falls asleep on the job," I remarked to Zhuzhen as we walked on.

"There's not much for him to guard against."

Zhuzhen seemed slightly tense, his staff beating heavily into the cobbled streets with each step. The only reason he had come to Europe was because it was necessary to stop Roger Bacon. Yet we hadn't heard so much as a whisper about the warlock. Even London, the hint Sasha had carelessly dropped, hadn't turned up any leads. It must have been agonizing for Zhuzhen to stay here when he knew the people in Shanghai needed his services as an exorcist. After the attack of Dehuai's god, there had been so many unrestful spirits I had collapsed under the strain when we had first reentered the city.

"Margarete should be back tomorrow, right?" I reminded him. We both knew Margarete would have news on Roger Bacon. She had certainly boasted enough that she would. But at the same time, I was hoping she wouldn't. If Sasha was alive, he was near here; in our travels, my feeling that he was alive was strongest in this town. I just had to find him. "We'll be leaving soon...oh! I should have taken that notice down," I said, reminding myself of the paper we had nailed at the gates, advertising our business.

"Well, you can just take it down tomorrow. Not like we'll be getting any work between now and then."

We entered Gismot's bar under the large picture of a beer mug. Though it was late in the evening, the bar was not very busy, probably because it was a Wednesday.There were two men seated at a table, one sighing into his beer mug while the other leaned back comfortably. Next to me I heard a groan.

"The older I get, the more I have to..."

Zhuzhen disappeared into the men's bathroom. Looking around, I saw Rosa, an elderly peddler, standing nearby a table. With a smile I approached her. "Hello, Rosa."

Her green eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Why, hello, Alice. ...Time flies, doesn't it? I can't believe you've been here for a month already. Are you getting acquainted with the town?"

I nodded. "Everyone here has been very helpful."

"Certainly looks like your business is going well. That reminds me...I should be getting back to work. Are you happy with that bolero?"

She was grinning, because it was obvious I liked the silk bolero she had sold me. Not only was it useful for its mystical strength, but it fit mewell and I liked to wear it with a blouse and my favorite skirt, the bustier having been discarded long ago.

"Yes, it's been very useful. I don't know how you got such good armor."

"Alice!" Yuria was calling me, a drink in her hand as she came over. A regular at the bar, she was already a bit drunk; as she walked she wobbled ever so little. "Welcome home, Alice. How was work? Did you find him?"

My smile faltered. I had told her about Sasha, in the hopes that if she heard any rumors that sounded like him, she would tell Zhuzhen and me. But Sasha was proving as elusive as Roger Bacon.

"No. I can tell just by looking at your face." She leaned back against the nearby table and took a sip from her drink. "Oh, you'll find him...eventually. Men always come back when they feel lonely."

No matter how many times I had told her Sasha and I weren't romantically involved, it never seemed to convince her. Rather than trying to correct her again, I simply nodded. "Well, you're probably right," I said, clasping my hands together. Even if she was right, I was worried about who he would go back to. After all, he had told Roger Bacon he would return to London.

I heard a door swing open and turned. Zhuzhen had stepped out of the bathroom. With a nod to Rosa and Yuria I left them and rejoined Zhuzhen.

"What's the matter Alice? You seem depressed." Zhuzhen watched me closely, frowning slightly. "You're not thinking of Sasha again, are you?"

He tried to keep his tone neutral, but it was obvious he disapproved. It had been the one source of conflict between us; he had never been too fond of Sasha, and after what had happened at Kuihai tower, he seemed to hate him for what had happened to Shanghai.

"A bit. I know...I think he's somewhere near here. But why haven't we found him yet?"

"He could be a monster. Are you sure you want to find him?"

I shook my head. "Of course! He might have lost control, but he could still snap out of it..."

"The longer he's been under that thing's control, the more difficult it will be for him to regain control," Zhuzhen said simply. "Either he's been human for a long time, or he's gone by now."

He was right. If Sasha had been under the control of Dehuai's god for the past six months, it might be impossible for him to regain his sanity. There was a sudden chill and I put a hand up to my father's cross, though it was the silver cross that had grown cold.

"Um... I heard I could find some exorcists here."

My head rose and I looked over my shoulder. There was a man at the bar with Gismot. He looked a mess, his clothes filthy with dirt and mud and his hair scraggly.

"Well, that's us," I said after a minute, approaching him.

The man jumped and turned to us. His eyes were wide with fright and he quickly looked down to the floor.

"If you came looking for us, I assume you need something exorcised?" Zhuzhen asked.

"Y-yes!" His head bobbed up and down as he nodded. "My name is Terry. I came from Bistritz, a small village east of here. I run a general store."

"Bistritz!" Gismot exclaimed. "That's quite a trip! It must've been a hard journey..."

Zhuzhen eyed Terry as he leaned as his staff. "By the look on your face, I'd say you must have had good reason. Why don't you tell us your story?"

"R-right. It's... it's like this. My village is attacked by vicious monsters every night..."

An entire village, under attack? I looked at Zhuzhen and knew he was thinking the same thing; it was possible this was Roger Bacon's doing.

"It started about a month ago," Terry explained. "Every night, dark shadows surround the village... They're... they're not human. No matter how many bullets they take, they don't die. So many villagers have lost their lives... I heard a rumor about you from a friend, so here I am."

"Are they ghosts or demons, I wonder...? Go on. Tell us everything you know," Zhuzhen told him.

"Well, Bistritz is a small village located about two days walk east of here. A lord used to rule the village, but his bloodline died out some three hundred years ago. The strange thing is that since the attacks began, there've been lights seen in the castle windows."

Lights in the castle...what could that mean? It didn't seem like it would be the monsters themselves, not if they only attacked at night... "Are the monsters and the castle related in any way?" I asked.

Terry shook his head, though he seemed to hesitate. "I don't know." There was a slight catch in his voice and I wondered if he was lying. But why would he lie if his village was in danger? "There's no history of any of our liege-lords ever attacking his people. However, in the off chance that it does involve the castle, I would like you to investigate. I'm here on behalf of my village to ask for your assistance. Will you accept the job?"

"So... it would seem that you've got two assignments for us," Zhuzhen said, considering as he tapped his staff. "One, getting rid of the monsters attacking the village. Two, investigating the lord's castle."

"Yes... Even at this very moment, the monsters are preying on my village. I'm so worried about my wife and daughter... You're our only hope." His concern for his family was obvious in his fearful expression. I must have been mistaken when I had thought he was lying.

"Let's check it out, Zhuzhen. Margarete should be back soon, too." It would mean a small delay, but Maggie's gun and grenades would be a godsend if it were demons plaguing the village.

Zhuzhen nodded. "All right, leave it to us. We'll eradicate these monsters for you."

Immediately there was a change in Terry's features as he laughed, relieved. "Y-you will? Oh, thank you!"

"We're waiting of one of our companions, but once she arrives, we'll go straight to Bistritz."

"Wonderful," Terry said. "I'll head back and tell them the good news!"

"Just wait for us to get there, okay? We'll be right behind you," I told him.

He nodded. "Certainly. Excuse me." The door creaked as it closed behind him.

For a moment, there was silence as I took out our map and started searching for Bistritz. "Sounds like another tough job," Gismot said. "Bistritz has an old reputation for been a target for monsters." He leaned over the map as well and pointed-Bistritz was not marked on it. I circled the spot, knowing that my demon eyes would probably be needed to find the village's exact location.

"I've heard the same," Yuria said. "It's always been a poor village... I've never heard anything good about it."

Zhuzhen chuckled. "We're well acquainted with monster dens, constantly wandering into them back in Asia." With unpleasant results, I thought, recalling Zhaoyang and Dalian. In Zhaoyang we'd almost been eaten, and in Dalian I had been put under a curse...and even now, as I thought of Terry and the village of Bistritz, I felt a chill in my heart and bit my lip.

"Zhuzhen, do you think Terry will be okay? I have a bad feeling about this..."

The Adept turned to me and frowned at my worry. "Now, now, stop trying to scare me. Margarete will be here soon. Then we'll be off."

My heart clenched as a man screamed loudly, dispersing all of Zhuzhen's reassurances. Without a second thought we both rushed outside.

"Where did it come from?" I asked, before realizing that every guard along the road was staring past us, at something further ahead. There were crows cawing, or at least so I thought until we reached the end of the street. The two monsters had the heads of crows but thetorsos of men, warped and twisted. One of them held in its beak a piece of intestine. Darcie the guard was the victim; he gave a weak groan before his eyes rolled back. Next to him lay Terry, who was also heavily wounded and gasping.

"Hee hee hee..."

I looked up and started. Past both the strange monsters and the men was an old woman, her facescrunching up as she chuckled. Had she been standing there the entire time? She had blood red eyes and an amused smirk as she met my gaze evenly.

"This terrible evil..." Zhuzhen murmured.

I clenched my fists. "Terry is still alive. Zhuzhen, we have to save him!" The woman might have summoned these monsters, but she didn't seem to be doing anything else. The first priority was getting rid of those birdmen so I could heal Terry.

"I can't use my fire magic, they're too close to him."

I nodded, my book already opened. With a quick prayer I cast Blessed Light, causing the birdman closer to Terry to screech. Zhuzhen was already racing towards the monster. Just as the monster's cry of pain ended, Zhuzhen struck it full across the face with his metal staff. With the next two strikes the birdman's beak shattered, but at the same time it had grabbed ahold of Zhuzhen's robes with its long, clawing fingers. The other birdman attacked, grabbing the Adept's arm in its beak. I rushed towards him, knowing that in the frantic struggle between the two monsters and him aiming my Blessed Light would be too difficult.

My bible bore down on the head of the monster which had lost its beak and, stunned, the monster collapsed. Given more freedom to move, Zhuzhen used his free arm to drive his staff at the second birdman. Though it was his left arm, repeated blows forced the creature to let go of him and the two separated. Zhuzhen was breathing hard as we both backed away, the cotton shirt under his chain mail vest stained a dark red. This wasn't good. With his right arm injured he couldn't attack very well, so I would have to defeat the second monster by myself. He would have to heal himself, if he could.

Casting Blessed Light again, I ran forward while the monster screamed. The book connected once before the monster's sharp beak grasped at my legs, tearing my skirt and scoring my thigh. I cried out in pain and fell to my knees. The monster's arm rose, but before it could attack again Zhuzhen pounded into it with his staff, his arm healed. The grotesque creature took only two hits before crying out weakly and sinking to the ground.

There was a flash of light as the old woman vanished. I rose to my feet, gritting my teeth at the throbbing pain in my thigh. "Terry! Are you all right?" I said, kneeling by his side.

He groaned, still alive, but barely. There were numerous wounds on his body where the birdmen had clawed and bitten, and a large bloodstain on his shirt. Though I started casting a cure spell, focusing on his chest, I could already tell he had lost too much blood. "Th-they... followed... Please... save the village... Mi...chelle...Nina..."

'His wife and daughter...'

The healing had not made a difference as far as I could see. He turned his head to the side and coughed up blood. Then his eyes closed.

"Terry!" I cried.

Zhuzhen knelt by me and pressed his fingers on Terry's neck, checking for a pulse. "Damn! We were too late..."

I bit my lip. Two men had died because of those monsters--why hadn't I sensed anything sooner? If we'd gotten here sooner... "We should have stayed with him!"

"There's nothing we could have done," Zhuzhen said, shaking his head. "That evil I was feeling... this was no ordinary monster. You felt it too, surely? That bloodsucking hag could have killed us, too, if we weren't careful."

"Yes... it's the first time I've felt such evil in Europe..." And then I paused, remembering for a second Dumble street and Bacon's smiling face. No, this wasn't the first horror I had seen in Europe--and it made me suspect Roger Bacon was involved. "Zhuzhen, I don't think we can wait for Margarete."

"I think you're right. Maybe the two of us should go on ahead to Bistritz."

I removed my silk bolero, tying it around my waist to conceal the tear the birdman had made. "Yes," I murmured, and began a healing spell for my leg.

Knowing the guards would take care of the two dead men, we proceeded back to the bar and gathered our things from our room upstairs. Zhuzhen finished before me and left to hire a carriage to take us to Bistritz. Once I had changed my clothes and found my voodoo doll, which had somehow fallen underneath my bed, I joined Zhuzhen at the gate entrance. We both climbed up into the carriage and started off for Bistritz.

For a little while we both studied the map; as the lights of the town faded away I conjured a light to see by. Bistritz was on mountainous terrain, Zhuzhen explained to me, and so we'd have to walk part of the way.

"So, we should probably rest now, while we can," he finished.

I nodded and let the light in the carriage dwindle and die. Though the ride was bumpy, only a few moments passed before I heard snores from Zhuzhen's side. I closed my eyes and rested my head on my shoulder.

And while I was sleeping, I dreamed of Sasha.

* * *

**Author's Note**: this chapter and the next one are mostly setting up for events in Blue Castle. I'm really looking forward to that. 


	8. Bistritz: Hopes and Suspicions

Out I leaned close to Ben as we talked, our hands loosely intertwined. He told me about his assignment, the little he could, and I drank in his voice, letting the individual words slip by.

A shrill cry stopped him and he looked down. "He's awake."

"You want to meet him?" I asked, already standing. I knew what the answer would be. Ben had been shocked when his sister had welcomed him back by scolding him for not being home for his son's birth, and then disappointed when he was told he couldn't wake up the newborn.

Yuri screamed, his little hands and feet flailing. His face was starting to turn red when I picked him up and cradled him. As I walked around the room, the screaming quieted until Yuri was silent, his dark eyes roaming everywhere.

I smiled and turned so that he was facing Ben. "Yuri, meet your daddy."

"Yuri?" Ben repeated, confused. "I thought it was a boy."

"He is a boy. Saki said it was perfectly fine...you don't like it?"

Ben's mouth was twitching, whether in disapproval or laughter I couldn't really tell. He ended up choosing laughter. "Well, Saki always has been a bit unconventional."

I'd have to remember to ask Saki about the name later. For now I stepped closer to Ben. "Do you want to hold him?"

"I...well..." He reached out and started to lift Yuri out of my arms. He was pulling Yuri close to his chest when the tiny baby screamed, just as shrill as before. Ben stiffened and looked at me. I reached forward and took Yuri back, and the screaming stopped almost instantly as I shushed him.

"He only really lets Saki or me hold him," I said. "I guess he's just scared of strangers."

"So, I'm a stranger?"

I bit my lip. Yuri's reaction had hurt Ben; he already felt guilty for being away while I was in labor, and that hadn't even been his fault. Yuri had been even smaller when he was born, only a few days ago, because he came early. "Well, this is his first time meeting you. He had to get used to Saki, too. Hold out your pinky."

Ben looked confused, but did as asked, putting his little finger next to Yuri's hand. Instantly the chubby hand wrapped around it, clutching as tight as a baby could. And when I looked at Ben's face again, he was smiling.

* * *

I slowly woke, blinking at the bright sunlight. Across from me, Zhuzhen was slumped over in his seat, snoring. 

Anne's cross lay secure under my blouse. The cool metal rested against my chest, quite different from the warmth of an infant. But in the cross was the same love she had shown her son, her husband...her family.

These dreams had been coming more and more often as we drew closer to Yuri. My first dream had come while we were on the ship to Europe, a dream of a seven-year-old yelling at his father and then running away. Yuri and Ben had always had a rough relationship, but they had loved each other. Anne knew that, but...sometimes she had been worried they didn't know.

Fifteen years after her death, it was obvious that at least Yuri hadn't known. Sasha--Yuri--had said on Kuihai tower, he thought his dad was haunting him. And the coat Ben had worn when he came back from his army assignments was the same as the one the masked man, who had attacked Sasha in the sewers, wore. But still, if Anne's memories had any shred of truth to them, Ben would never hurt his son. I hoped I would be able to find Yuri and tell him that.

The carriage rolled over a large bump and the impact woke Zhuzhen up. "Huh?" he said. "What time is it?"

"Still early."

He nodded. "We'd better rest as much as we can before getting there."

As we progressed towards the village, I did take another nap, but this time there was no dream like before. There was only a brief vision of a boy running around with a fox mask on his face, exhilarated by the gift. Zhuzhen shook me awake when the land became too steep and rocky for the carriage. He paid the driver and we walked. We took frequent breaks; the journey to Bistritz was indeed a hard trip, as Gismot had said. The sun had set long before we passed between the two stone stag heads on each side of the village gates. The air was cold and damp, a thick mist smothering the buildings.

"So, this is Bistritz," Zhuzhen remarked. "There certainly is a spooky air about the place. It's been awhile since I've felt such a strong ghostly presence! This is exciting!"

I frowned. I supposed Zhuzhen was excited because this was a possible lead to Bacon, but from my experience that was all the more reason to be cautious. "Well, first we should look for Terry's shop. He said he ran a general store."

"Yeah, that's right. I just wish we didn't have to be the ones to break the news..."

Looking around, I couldn't see any general store. The building closest to us was a church, its entrance boarded up and the graveyard behind it closed. Across the street from it was the largest house in the entire town. It even had a small addition on its side which looked quite new.

Zhuzhen knocked three times on each door before trying their handles. Both were locked. The same was true of the weapon shop nearby.

"Excuse me? Is anyone here?" I called as I rapped on the door. The windows were boarded up, but for a second there seemed to be a wide eye in one of the gaps.

"They're definitely scared of something," Zhuzhen remarked. "Though I haven't sensed any monsters yet."

Terry had said they would appear at nighttime too. Where were the monsters?

"That sign--is that the general store?"

At Zhuzhen's question, I turned and looked. The sign he was pointing to read, simply, 'Bistrita General Store'.

"Oh, that's it!"

We crossed the street and passed two more crumbling houses on the way. This time Zhuzhen knocked and we were startled by the immediate answer.

"Dad, is that you?" a girl's voice said.

Zhuzhen cleared his throat. "We're friends of your father."

She must not have heard him clearly, because her answer was, "Dad! I'll open the door!"

Through the door we could hear her scrambling with each lock--it sounded like there were at least three. Finally the last one was undone and the door opened.

It was obvious we were not who she had expected, but the girl at the door let us in anyways. Once inside, we were faced with a woman who must have been her mother. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice quivering.

"My name is Alice, and this is Zhuzhen," I said. "We're the exorcists from Prague. Terry sent us to get rid of the monsters in your village."

"Exorcists?" Her frown turned into a small smile. "And where is my husband?"

I swallowed, clasping my hands together. It was so obvious Terry's daughter was eager for his return, and how could I tell her that he wasn't coming back at all? "Well...Terry is..."

"Nina, why don't you go play in your room?" the mother suggested. She could tell, then, that her husband was dead.

"Mom...?" Nina touched her mother's arm, but when no response came she turned away. Edging past the barrels of supplies in the storefront, she vanished as she entered a room in the back.

It was Zhuzhen who told the story of Terry's death. Though I related some of what had happened, for the most part I looked around the store, overflowing with both stock and personal details, like a rug nearby the counter. It was almost as if the overwhelming presence of the store was supposed to compensate for the barren landscape outside.

"I see," she said finally.

At that instant, Nina came back. She must have been eavesdropping to know so soon we were done talking. "Mommy, is Daddy dead? Will he ever come back?"

"I-I'm afraid not, Nina," her mother answered.

The hurt and disappointment I had been afraid of finally came, as Nina looked down at the uneven floorboards. "T-then...he..."

"I'm so sorry. I wish we'd realized sooner..." I told her. "Maybe we could've saved your father."

The mother shook her head. "No, that's all right. The important thing is that you came…" Nina did not even look at us, though.

"We'll do everything we can," promised Zhuzhen. "I'm sure we'll be able to send the monsters packing."

The little girl looked up, a tiny smile on her heart-shaped face. "Thank you."

A loud knock at the front door and a man's voice made me start. Nina rushed to the door and unlocked it.

"Oh, mayor!" she exclaimed as the door swung open. The man in the door had a thin mustache and sharp blue eyes, which glanced often at Zhuzhen and me.

"Hello there, Nina. Michelle." He nodded to the woman. "I heard some strangers were seen coming into this shop. That'd be you folks, I suppose? I'm the mayor of this village. The name's Kevin."

"We're exorcists from Prague," Zhuzhen explained. "The master of this shop asked for our services."

"Aha, so that's what's going on! Most reassuring!" The mayor exclaimed. "And where's Terry, then? He wasn't with you outside."

"No..." I said. "After Terry gave us this assignment, he was attacked by monsters."

"I see," said the mayor, frowning so deeply it seemed ludicrous. "I'm so sorry to hear that. I don't know what to say." But he did have something to say, and he turned to Michelle and Nina. "You have my deepest condolences. It's such a shame, just when you'd made arrangements to move to America."

His words seemed inappropriate; it'd be a shame any time. Michelle did not answer, and when I looked at her she was chewing her lip, as if biting back a harsh reply.

"But you needn't worry," the mayor continued blithely. "I will make sure you are taken care of! Please try to cheer up!"

Michelle forced a smile. "Kevin, you don't have to worry about us. Nina and I have each other."

Kevin shook his head. "Now, we're not strangers, so don't hesitate to call on me any time with whatever concerns you might have." When Michelle was silent again, he sighed. He seemed to have finally gotten the hint. "Well, I guess I'll be going." He turned away, but then looked over his shoulder at Zhuzhen and me. "I should warn our two exorcists that the monsters appear when the fog turns red. Please be careful." With that, he left. So, the villagers could tell when the monsters would be out...that explained why the mayor had been bold enough to go out unarmed.

I turned to Michelle. Now that the mayor was gone she looked down at the floor, her hand resting on Nina's head. "Were you all planning on going to America?"

"Yes. A good friend of my husband's is in New York. He sent us a lot of gifts and took good care of us. This fall, he was going to help us get work over there. But now..."

Nina looked up and said, "He's a famous professor who grows flowers."

"I see..." It was too bad they couldn't have gone sooner. If they had been able to leave before, Terry wouldn't have died.

"Well, let's you and me go take a look around outside," Zhuzhen said to me. "We need to explore the village a little more. Ma'am, what can you tell me about the castle where the lord of this domain used to live?"

Michelle hesitated, a frown creasing her forehead. "The nobleman's castle? Yes, it's often called 'Blue Castle'. It's an ancient castle past the forest east of the village. It was deserted three hundred years ago--No one goes near it. Are the monsters coming from the castle?" she asked.

"No!" Nina shouted. "There aren't any monsters in the castle!"

"Nina! You promised not to tell that silly story anymore!" her mother said, looking down at her.

"But... Mom." Michelle's expression did not soften, and her daughter turned away from both her and us.

"I'm sorry. Please find out what you can about the village. I'm awfully tired. We have to rest."

"We'll be leaving, then. Sorry to have brought you such bad news. If you think of anything else we should know, please be sure to tell us."

"I'm so sorry. We won't let your father's death go to waste." Though I wanted to ask what the 'silly story' was, we had already upset them, and so had that mayor, Kevin. It'd be best to leave them alone for a while before asking more of them.

Zhuzhen and I walked outside, and immediately the door closed behind us and each lock was bolted. "Friendly," Zhuzhen cracked with a wry smile. His eyes lingered on the shut door. He was also curious about the 'silly story'.

"The fog is turning red," I said. It wasn't just turning red; it was changing into blood, steaming in the night air. I shuddered after it brushed my legs. The red mist was unbearably warm, making the wind seem colder. At least I was wearing my bolero, though now I was wishing I had worn a longer skirt.

"So it's time for the monsters to show up." Zhuzhen laughed and peered around. Apparently he couldn't wait to find the monsters. "I can't remember the last time I was this excited."

I sighed. He was right, he'd never been this worked up in any of our other assignments...and this was the most dangerous one we'd had yet. Well, at least he felt we were doing something useful.

"There's the mayor," he noted. I looked up and saw the mayor walking to the house across from the church--he seemed to have come from the graveyard.

"Maybe we should ask him some questions," I suggested. "He might know more about the lights in the castle."

"Sounds good," he said, and started out before me. The fog had become thicker with its transformation and I made sure to stay close. We had only been walking for a few seconds when I plucked Zhuzhen's sleeve.

"Do you hear that?" The sound was of something--no, it was more than one--some things hitting the ground heavily. As it got louder, we could both hear grunting. Zhuzhen took out his staff and I opened my bible, prepared to cast Blessed Light as soon as the monsters came in sight.

There was a form emerging from the red mist, almost as tall as a man but misshapen--it seemed to have one leg and four arms. I cast Blessed Light and the creature fell down...whining?

I took a few steps forward and saw a dog lying on the ground. Guilt stabbed my heart until I realized this was the monster I'd attacked; the dog had a grossly swollen arm protruding from its mouth and it was scrambling back up to stand on it!

Two other dogs appeared, one also light-furred like the first and another with a dark brown coat. All three were standing on discolored arms attached to their bodies.

Zhuzhen was preparing his flame spell, but the dogs had some of their own magicks. Dark magic surged from the brown dog to one of the white ones, making its magic more powerful, as the white dog stood higher on its arm, its legs splayed open as boulders erupted from the ground. Though both of us tried to evade the attack, the rocks were too large. One hit me in the shoulder and another in the stomach, making me fall to my knees as I gasped for breath. Zhuzhen had been luckier; the sleeve of his Adept robe was torn open but he was still chanting, and soon a ring of flames surrounded the canines. Both of the lighter-colored dogs perished immediately. Though the brown dog growled at us, it was easy to see how it wobbled on its hand, and when it tried to attack me I beat it back with my bible, almost surprised at how easily it collapsed.

"Not too hard," Zhuzhen commented.

"With your magic," I corrected him. "If there are many of them, it could become much more difficult."

We reached the mayor's house and I almost knocked on the door before pausing. There had been the sound of something rustling. I had a distinct feeling that something besides the mayor was inside, and I wasn't quite sure I wanted to see it.

"There's something evil on the other side of this door," I said quietly, coming back down the steps.

"This is the mayor's house, right?" Zhuzhen considered the building for a moment before turning back to me. "Did you notice how Michelle and Nina were kind of cold to the mayor? Something's fishy here."

Could Kevin be related to the monsters? Though he was rude, he didn't seem that malicious...but we needed to check out every possibility. "Let's ask the people here."

In the first house we came to, the owner was more interested in selling us weapons than telling us about Kevin. It was disappointing to not get any information, but we had the chance to get out of the red fog for a few minutes. I surveyed the rack of antique swords mounted on the wall before a small tome nestled in the corner caught my eye. The black cover had a blazing sun on it, and as I leafed through the pages I realized many of the spells it detailed were counter curses to the spells in my Tome of the Moon. Perhaps in a cursed village, this would be the ideal weapon for me.

"I'll take this," I told the heavyset man. It took a few more minutes to rifle through my wallet for some of our savings, but soon the book was paid for and we were on to the next house.

As it was late in the night, it took a lot of heavy pounding to get responses, but most people became more welcoming when we explained to them that we were exorcists, and they were more willing to answer our questions. "Kevin?" one man said through his door. Despite our reassurances that we were not monsters, he refused to let us in and the door was still bolted. "He became a mayor because he was rich. He's been doing some strange research for a long time, but he's having some money problems now."

Another man was much more disparaging. "Mayor's research? Yeah, I know all about that. How he be diggin' all over for some gold." He snorted, making his disgust for such idiocy plain. "Gold? This frozen ground's never been able to produce more'n a hare's droppings! Hafta make do..." And then his voice trailed away as he muttered. "Anyways, that's all I know," he said finally.

"Thank you sir," I said, and immediately he closed the door in our faces. By now we were well aware the slamming door came from fear, not rudeness, though I still couldn't help but think he ought to have said a proper goodbye.

"So he needs money to finance his research, and he's trying to get it by digging for gold." Zhuzhen shook his head. "You'd think if there was gold someone would've dug it up long ago."

At the other houses there had been a few tales of other gold diggers--people eager to either get out of the village or bring some prosperity to it. "You would think so," I agreed.

Zhuzhen raised his staff, pointing it towards the general store. It was the only place where we hadn't asked for information about the mayor. It seemed from his visit earlier that Kevin probably saw Michelle and Nina often, so they should know more about him, but was it really all right to bother them again? There wasn't much time to think about it; Zhuzhen had already started across the street.

We were halfway across when a monster leapt out of the mist, attacking Zhuzhen. It was one of the birdmen we had seen in Prague. Though the Adept managed to beat it back with his staff, there were more surrounding us. He swore quietly; fire spells would be near useless when we were surrounded on all sides.

I had my new tome open as they closed in, ready to cast Blessed Light. Before I could say the incantation, one of the monsters struck me with its claws. I tried to complete the spell but found no words would pass my lips--the attack had silenced me.

As Zhuzhen tried to hold them off, I rifled through our bag for a soul benediction. Once I was no longer silenced, the first monster succumbed to a Blessed Light, and a second soon fell after Zhuzhen had repeatedly struck it with its staff.

The fight afterwards went more smoothly, though at the end I was forced to sit down and heal my hand, bloodied from one monster's infernal pecking. Zhuzhen stood over me as he looked around to ensure no more monsters would sneak up on us. As soon as that was done we entered the shop.

Nina looked up from one of the barrels as we entered. "Hey, Alice. My mom's feeling sick. I'm looking after the shop while she rests."

"Nina, can I ask you something?" I asked. I only continued after she had nodded. "The mayor… What kind of person is he? Could you tell me anything?"

The little girl's bright eyes had become serious at the question. "I don't like him." Her voice was firm. "He keeps bothering my mom. He also keeps asking to see all the gifts my dad gave me."

Why should the mayor be interested in a child's gifts? "From your dad? He gave you lots of gifts?"

She nodded, beaming at the thought of them. "One of them is a letter from my dad's friend in America. It's got a cute little leather bag attached to it. It's my favorite."

"Do you still have it, or did you give it to the mayor?"

Nina shook her head. "I hid it in a secret place. He's not going to find it."

Zhuzhen was mulling over this information. "Maybe the mayor is just an oddball who isn't very well liked…?" he suggested.

"Maybe..." It would explain his rudeness, the 'strange' research, and his gold digging. "Does that mean the monsters are coming from Blue Castle?"

There was a loud gasp and surprised, both Zhuzhen and I turned to Nina. She had her hands clapped over her mouth, but then lowered them and exclaimed, "The master of the castle would never be friends with monsters!"

"You know the master of the castle?" asked Zhuzhen.

Nina nodded her head vigorously. "He saved me from the wolves in the forest!"

But everyone else had said the bloodline had died out centuries ago. "He did? Really?"

"Yeah. A month ago, a person with big wings flew toward the castle! I ran after this person, but I got lost in the east forest. The wolves started chasing after me, and I thought they were going to get me. Then the master ran out of the castle to save me!"

"Then what did the master of the castle do?" the Adept asked.

"The master of the castle took me back to the village, and went home. My mom keeps saying that the master is a vampire. She tells me that if people find out about this, they'll think I'm a vampire, too."

So this was the 'silly story'...a person with large wings and a vampire...

"Did he suck your blood?" I asked.

"No!" She brushed aside her hair to show us that her neck was bare of marks. "The master was very nice. We joined hands and sang together."

"Oh, really?" He certainly didn't sound like a vampire. It was hard to picture a bloodsucking monster playing with a child.

"So it seems there really is someone at the castle. Maybe we need to check that out first?" Zhuzhen suggested.

"If what Nina said is true, then I wouldn't think the master and the monsters are related...but he might know something more about the red fog and the monsters," I said slowly.

When Nina heard we were planning on visiting this 'master', she rummaged around on the shop's counter and returned with a silver key. "This will open the gate to the east forest," she explained. "Be careful, there are lots of wolves."

The key was nothing remarkable, except for the small engraving of a clove of garlic. I frowned at the unusual design before placing it in my pocket. "We'll be right back. Wait here with your mother, okay?"

It turned out that the gate to the east forest also had an unusual design; there was a large, radiant sun placed in the center of it. "Rather strange," I murmured, jiggling the key into the stubborn lock. "This leads to Blue Castle...so they thought their last lord was a vampire? I wonder why?"

Zhuzhen shrugged and walked through as the gate swung open. As long as we solved this mystery, I suppose he didn't care about the why or how of their beliefs.

As we entered the forest, the castle became immediately evident, looming high on a hill with the moon behind it. "What is this?" exclaimed Zhuzhen. "They call it 'Blue Castle' but it's not blue at all." He was right; there didn't seem to be anything extraordinary about the castle, at least in the moonlight.

"My father told me that most location names are based on legends or superstition. I think that's nice. It's more evocative." As soon as I heard Zhuzhen snort I knew that had been the wrong choice of words.

"You're a real romantic, aren't you? If I said anything like that, stones would come flying." He chuckled and then conjured a fire for us to see our way through the dark forest. Unlike monsters, most wolves were scared away by flame and the only ones that attacked us were desperate, weak from hunger.

With little threat from either monsters or wolves, the only thing that kept us from getting to the castle quickly was the steep slope of the hill it was set upon. Halfway up we took a break; I was panting and Zhuzhen was completely winded.

"Ah, I am getting old," Zhuzhen complained, settling down on the ground.

"Not too old for me!" called out a cheerful voice. Zhuzhen jumped up as if his own flame had burned him, and indeed it was flickering from his startlement now. Meiyuan strolled into the warm light, beaming.

"Miss me?"

"What the hell?" Zhuzhen exclaimed. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be in China!"

Meiyuan shrugged. "Sightseeing," he explained, though his smile told otherwise.

"The devil you are."

I elbowed Zhuzhen. Now was the time for a little payback. "Zhuzhen, you should be more polite," I told him. "He just paid you a compliment."

"That's right, I did," the acupuncturist chimed in. "Now, if you'd like some moxibustion..."

"Actually, I think I'm getting my second wind," and with that Zhuzhen marched off towards the castle again. I stifled my laughter as I jogged to catch up with him. "Meiyuan," Zhuzhen said, rolling his eyes. "I almost think he knew we were going to come here."

"Maybe he did."

The Adept groaned. "Don't even say that, Alice."

In a little over an hour, with Meiyuan trailing behind us, we had reached a large stone path, set on each side with statues of griffins. At one place the path branched off to a garden overgrown from neglect, and Meiyuan took one glance at the ancient castle in front of us before choosing the garden.

Together Zhuzhen and I walked up to the iron doors of the castle. Zhuzhen pulled on the huge ring of one of the doors, but it didn't budge--even when we both pulled together.

"It's not locked," I said after examining the door, "but it won't open." Would knocking do any good? There were no lights that I could see, so perhaps Nina's 'master' was away for the moment.

We started back down the steps, determined to look for another way into the castle, when there was a long, shuddering creak. Both of us spun around to see the door open, though there was no one inside who could have opened it.

"It opened all on its own," Zhuzhen murmured in surprise. "That's a fine greeting. Do you suppose that's supposed to be an invitation?"

The interior was dark, and the blast of air that had come from the doors' opening was full of dust. I hesitated before nodding to Zhuzhen.

My biggest fear was that the door would act as the Zhaoyang gate had--that it would let anyone in, but no one out. As we walked inside I kept glancing back at the door, wondering when it would slam shut, but it remained open. It was a small relief. Zhuzhen had one foot on a large staircase when I gasped and spun around.

For a moment I thought the doors had started to close, but that was not the case; there was something else I was feeling. I sensed something moving above the door, but when I looked there was nothing.

"What's the matter, Alice? What made you turn around all of the sudden?"

I turned sideways, torn between the doors and Zhuzhen. "I felt someone pass behind us…"

"You felt someone? But there's no one there."

That couldn't be right though. Someone must have opened those doors for us. Unless, perhaps they were enchanted...I shook my head and followed Zhuzhen as he walked on again.

The castle looked normal on the outside, but the inside was a different matter. For one thing, there was a resting circle, and there was usually only one path to follow, as the only two doors we found were locked. Hopeful, we tried walking away from both, but neither opened mysteriously as the entrance doors had. The hallways were bare of ornamentation, except for one which had ornate chest at the end of it. The chest's contents were aged and lined with dust, but there was one Thera seed that seemed in perfect condition--once it had been washed off with a little water.

We were just approaching a small set of stairs when I could feel it; there was someone very close to us, watching us. "It--it happened again," I told Zhuzhen.

"What?" Zhuzhen exclaimed. He looked around, but he couldn't seem to find anything. "What's wrong?"

This was maddening. Why could I feel it, but Zhuzhen, an Adept, couldn't? "Who's there?" I shouted, my voice echoing off the stone walls. "I know you're watching! Show yourself!"

"I don't feel a thing...where is it?" he asked.

I concentrated, trying to pinpoint the presence so I could show Master Zhuzhen, but at the same time I felt it going farther away... "It's gone again."

"You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

My foot stamped the ground hard as I turned to Zhuzhen. "Do you think I would joke about this?"

"All right, all right," he said, shaking his head. "Do you have an idea where it went?"

"Down the stairs," I answered. The downward path led to a set of doors which, thankfully, opened when the two of us pushed on them hard. I took the first step into the darkness, and used my magic to make a light.

Instantly, what seemed at least a dozen bats flew out, screeching as they bit and scratched. I screamed and hit only twice with my Tome of the Sun before they completely overwhelmed me. There were so many of them all around, I didn't know where to start, and blood already ran freely down my neck.

"Alice! Get behind the door!"

I swung my tome wildly as I backed away, hitting few of the beasts but forcing them to stay away. Zhuzhen pushed me behind the door, where I fell down. My hand came up to my neck and the sting of pain drew it away, covered with blood. I was so distracted with how much bleeding there was, I only registered Zhuzhen casting his spell because of how hot the air became.

"There...they're gone," Zhuzhen said. He peered around the door and looked at me. "You're a real mess."

"I'm fine," I murmured. "I just need to--" I raised my hand to my neck and started a healing incantation.

The next thing I knew, I was on my back, my head was pounding, and Zhuzhen's face floated overhead. "As a general rule, don't try healing yourself when you're dizzy," he told me.

"I...fainted?"

He helped me sit up. "You were out for a few minutes. Do you need to rest?"

"I don't think we should." I moved to stand, but with a firm hand on my shoulder Zhuzhen made it clear he wanted me to sit a while longer. I looked up at him. "We need to find that person before he or she gets away."

Zhuzhen nodded grudgingly. "You need to eat first though, to get your energy back."

He passed me an apple from our sack, and I managed to choke down the ancient Thera seed we had found with water. To my surprise it was just as good as ever, and we both entered the basement.

There was little light here, but I could see coffins on both sides. As we proceeded further, Zhuzhen's flame illuminated eight coffins in total, four on each side. We walked up a small set of stairs and found a ninth coffin, larger, more ornate--and open.

"Is this an underground chapel?" I wondered. "This coffin is open."

Zhuzhen stroked a finger along the inside of the coffin, which came up free of dust. He hmphed. "I guess it means this really is a vampire castle, just like that lady Michelle was saying."

Looking inside the old coffin, I could see a deep indent in the cushioning where a body had rested. "But… I don't feel any evil here like I did in Bistritz," I said hesitantly. "Instead… I feel eternal silence here, as if this place has been cut off from the rest of the world. Only eternity exists here… no sadness or hate." If this was what vampires felt, this strange sense of calm, could they really be so horrible? I'd always thought of them as malicious creatures...

"Hey!" Zhuzhen's voice broke me out of my thoughts as he turned around. "There's someone there! Hellooo! Are you the lord of the castle Nina was talking about?"

The person stood only a few feet away from us, I could feel him so close, and I realized he was...chuckling? We amused him. He had been lingering by us this entire time because he was curious about us.

But, now that he knew we were aware of him, he turned around and walked away. "Please, wait!" I shouted. It seemed he did, for an instant. We heard something hit the floor, and both of us ran forward to see what it was.

It was not the invisible man, but a dead one. The corpse was old, and it looked as though he had died of starvation and exhaustion, rather than of any violent cause. There were words above him, marked on the wall.

"'Raise your voice in prayer'," I read aloud, knowing Zhuzhen had difficulty reading English. "'Pray for new writing to be turned into old...so long as the eight flames remain unlit, the door to the throne will not open. Offer up thy prayers...'"

"So we're supposed to pray here?" Zhuzhen said. "And the 'door to the throne' must be one of the doors we couldn't get through."

"Probably...but why did this man die down here?" I wondered. "Was he ill or..." An awful idea occurred to me, and I raced to the doors before saying any more. The doors had been open when we came in, but now they were closed, and remained closed no matter how hard I pushed. "We're trapped, Zhuzhen."

The Adept nodded, his expression quite calm. "It makes sense. This seems like a riddle that was put in place to keep out trespassers...and probably punish them too."

Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I looked around the room. Each casket had a torch next to it, unlit. The larger ninth one did not, making eight torches total. "The 'flames' must mean the torches...so I suppose we have to pray in front of each coffin."

But if it was that simple, why had that man died down here? It seemed like he had been the one to write the clue...

I walked to the coffin closest to us and looked down at it. The ornate engraving said Maria rested in here, but after seeing the open coffin I wasn't so sure. Still, as Zhuzhen stood behind me, I closed my eyes and prayed.

I stumbled a bit, wondering what exactly I should say, but I remembered to include asking for the flame to light and new writing be turned into old...even though the lettering before me seemed to be already ancient.

As I opened my eyes, the torch lit, flames coming from nowhere to lick at the air. Relieved that it wasn't so hard after all, I turned to Zhuzhen and cried out as there was a huge eruption of flame in the air.

When it vanished, the Adept gave me an embarrassed grin. "I wanted to see if magic would work as well as prayer." It seemed that it didn't; though his flame spells were powerful, the torch which had been at the center of the explosion seemed untouched. "Looks like only prayer'll do."

I nodded, my heart fluttering, wondering if Zhuzhen's attempt at bypassing the trial would have dire effects. At the next coffin though, the torch still lit--and then without any warning, both torches went out.

My breath escaped me for a moment. Had we really done something wrong? Then I sensed an enchantment behind me, and I turned around to see that Zhuzhen had prayed to light a torch on his side. The torches were still lighting...then why had my two gone out?

There must be an order in this. 'Pray for new writing to be turned into old'...was that a clue in itself? The newest writing would be those who were last laid to rest here...so perhaps we were supposed to go from most recently died on back...or maybe it was reversed...but how on earth would we know which ones had died first or last?

I sighed and sat down, thinking about it. There were eight coffins we could choose, and we'd have to choose the one first in the sequence, and then from the remaining seven, the second, and then from six the third...I went on with this computation until realizing there were forty thousand, three hundred and twenty possibilities and only one was right. Oh God, no wonder that man had died down here.

"Eh?" Zhuzhen's exclamation prompted me to look up just in time to see his two torches wink out.

"We're doing this wrong, Zhuzhen," I said, resting my head against the coffin behind me. "They need to be lit in a specific order."

"And, um, what's the order?"

"I don't know." Zhuzhen sat down across from me. "I think the clue is in turning new writing into old. Maybe the ones who were buried last go before the ones who were buried first."

"And how do we tell that?" The Adept chuckled, but it was a despondent sound. "They all look old."

"There aren't any dates either." I chewed my lip and then stood. "I'll check that message again and see if there's anything else."

_Raise your voice in prayer!_

_Pray for new writing to be turned into old!_

_So long as the eight flames remain unlit, the door to the throne will not open!_

_Offer up thy prayers!_

There was nothing else to it. I searched high and low, even pushing the body aside with my tome to make sure it wasn't obscuring any lettering. No further hints were given.

How would I determine the newest ones then? I eyed the coffins, wondering. If this had been built as a chapel...the oldest ones would most likely be those in the back, and the newest would be towards the front.

Since I had started at Maria's last time, this time I went to Leon's coffin and prayed. The flame went and I proceeded to Maria's. To my pleasant surprise this flame lit as well and both continued to burn. I then went to the next row of coffins and prayed in front of Frank's. The third torch lit--and then all three were snuffed out.

Edgar must have been buried after Frank, I thought, and repeated the process, going from Maria's coffin to Edgar's. Again all three torches were extinguished. My theory had been completely wrong.

I looked over to Zhuzhen, who was peering at the names on the last row of coffins. He was frowning over one, apparently having a hard time reading it. "A...b..." he said as he tried to decipher the lettering.

"Abel," I read aloud for him. Could this really be a vampire castle? It seemed strange for a vampire to have a biblical name such as the first son of Adam and Eve.

Another thought came to me, making me frown. New to old...or first to last? "Abel"...and A was the first letter in the alphabet...Maria's coffin had lit after Leon's, but after that neither Edgar's nor Frank's torch would light...

"Zhuzhen, can you pray at this coffin?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "You've got an idea?"

"I'll be dumbfounded if this actually works," I muttered, scanning the remaining coffins. I returned to Edgar's coffin and prayed--and the torch lit this time. The same thing happened at Frank's. If this was merely coincidence, it was amazing...and if it was actually alphabetical...

"Now the coffin behind you," I called to him, seeing that it bore the name Helen. Once he was done I went on to Leon and Maria.

All six torches had lit. This had gone too far to be coincidence. But why bother to make a trial based on alphabetical order? It made no sense, anyone could figure it out! ...but the corpse seemed to suggest otherwise...

"Zhuzhen, pray at the one next to you," I said, pointing to indicate Robin's coffin, "and then at the coffin across from it."

The doors opened again after he had prayed before Steven's coffin, and we both took off before the doors could decide to close again. Then, then I shook my head. "The alphabet. I simply can't believe it."

"You sound upset that we're actually out."

"No, I'm not. Just..." Well, he had a point. It was a stupid thing to be upset over. "It said once the flames were lit, the door to the throne would open. Let's go back and check."

We walked to the first door we came across and stopped. When we had first passed by it both of us had noticed a sinister aura...but now, as Zhuzhen pushed the door, I also noticed the warmth of the cross at my neck. It was hot, but not unpleasant, reminding me of the feeling hot chocolate made in the stomach.

"Hm, this can't be it, because it's not opening," Zhuzhen grumbled, whacking it with his staff to show his irritation.

"That doesn't seem right though. The aura past here is very powerful." I was rather distracted as I spoke, wondering why Anne's cross was reacting in a vampire castle.

However, the door could not be opened and so we had to go to the other door. As soon as Zhuzhen put his hand on it, it swung open with barely a squeak, letting us in.

The room was dark, but by the moonlight coming in the large windows we could see paintings and unlit candles, as well as a throne set between the two windows.

"Oh," I breathed, walking closer to a beautiful painting of a family. They all looked so happy, though...the mother's teeth seemed unusually pointed. Was that just the moonlight, or was she really...?

"Dead end..." Zhuzhen muttered. "For all its splendor, it's an awfully bleak room isn't it?"

"It seems empty." Yet when I looked at the throne, I realized that, like the open coffin in the basement, there was no dust on it. "But someone definitely lives here."

Zhuzhen shrugged, his monocle glinting moonlight as he turned his head this way and that. "Well, whoever it is, they're not in at the moment."

"Yes, you're right."

"Are you looking for someone, my pretty young lass?"

I jumped, having not even sensed the presence which had just entered the room. There was a snap of fingers and all the candles blazed, warm light washing over the room.

"Well, well! A most interesting welcome," Zhuzhen said.

From the voice, it seemed to be the same man who had been chuckling at Zhuzhen and me before. Not a malicious man, but perhaps not benevolent either. It'd be better not to upset him, so I decided to be polite and introduce myself. "I am Alice, and this is Zhuzhen, a monk," I told him. "Are you the master of this castle?"

"Yes, I am." The air before us shifted and suddenly the man became visible. His physical stature was large, as he was tall, broad-shouldered, and well-built, which troubled me as I perceived the sword at his side. His tone was courteous enough, but at the same time I edged away, hoping he wouldn't notice. "However, it seems that I dozed off for a time and the castle forgot all about me. I finally awoke to find a band of monsters roaming the castle, and a pesky demon in the tower." He shook his head, obviously displeased by this discovery. I wasn't too pleased with my discovery either; his aura did not seem human, and added to the way he was talking about his sleep I was convinced he was a vampire. Yet when he smiled at me, the warmth seemed genuine. "Now, Alice, what brings you two to my humble abode?"

"We're here to investigate the monster attacks in Bistritz," I said. It never even occurred to me that I should perhaps lie so he didn't realize we suspected him. My mind was still preoccupied by the fact that there was a real vampire standing right in front of me. "Did you wake up about the same time they started?"

It was immediately after the words came out that I realized I had basically accused him. Out went the idea of keeping him complacent with pleasantries. If he was going to get angry with us, it would be now. I gripped my bible, aware that it probably would have been better to challenge him somewhere else, anywhere besides his own castle.

But he didn't get upset. He took the question very calmly, murmuring, "Ahh, so that's it." His green eyes seemed amused. "You suspected me of setting the monsters upon the village. So, you came to question me about it, and kill me if your suspicions were true, did you not?"

"Exactly. Glad we've reach an understanding so quickly, Mr. See-Through Man," Zhuzhen replied, lifting up his staff. "So? Are you the master of the monsters?"

The blond shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he said, walking up to the throne and seating himself on it. "Neither I nor my ancestors have ever harmed the people of our domain. If I did that, my grandfathers would come flying out of those caskets you saw and chew me out all night."

"You must be a vampire," I said; it no longer seemed accusing, as he had practically admitted it. "Are you a good vampire, like Nina believes?"

He tossed back his head and laughed. "A good vampire? Yes, I am a vampire, and it is true that not all vampires are evil." He placed his elbow on one arm of the throne and propped his chin on his hand, looking straight at me with his strange smile. "It is the same with humans, is it not? There are good people and there are bad people."

He was perfectly right; Zhuzhen and I both knew that very well from our experiences in Asia. The Adept sighed and lowered his weapon.

"I was ready to fight, but you just took the wind out of my sails. If it's not you, who's behind the monster attacks on Bistritz?"

The vampire shrugged. "I don't know any more than you do, but if the village is under attack, that certainly cannot go ignored." He stood and walked back to us. "As it happens, I've just been dying of boredom around here, so how about I help you out?"

The offer startled me. While he might not be violent, at the same time I hadn't expected a vampire to care about human problems. "You'd help us?"

"Sure," he said. "It'll be nice to see my cute little friend in the village again. Shall we be going then?"

Zhuzhen caught my eye and shrugged. He was not yet decided, but seemed to think the vampire was worth the risk. "You certainly are an unusual man. What's your name, anyways?"

"My name? Oh my," he exclaimed, "How many years has it been since I gave anyone my name, I wonder? My name is Keith Valentine, but please, just call me Keith."

I smiled, slowly adjusting to the flash of sharp incisors in his smiles. "All right, Keith. Let's get to work."

"Now, look here," Zhuzhen said firmly. "I understand vampires suck human blood. You'd better not chomp into our necks or anything."

For a second time I was worried we had just offended Keith and that he might become violent. But proving me wrong again, the vampire laughed. "I suppose the books say all sorts of curious and silly things about us. But true vampires aren't like that. Daylight and crosses don't bother me a bit. Nor garlic. We may be 'undead' but that doesn't mean we can't be killed. We're just tougher than humans."

"Hmmm. A most curious constitution you have. I wonder whether being that way is boon or bane. At any rate, it's good to have you with us." Keith's response seemed to have calmed Zhuzhen's worries, and as I could feel no malice from the vampire I had to agree: it was good to have him with us.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied graciously, and led us as we walked out of the room.

"Oh...Keith, could I ask you something?" When the vampire nodded, I walked ahead of him, returning to the door that was still locked. "If you don't mind me asking, what's in here?" I said. "At first I thought it might be a vampire, but your aura seems very different from it..." Anne's cross had grown warm again, and I touched it through the blouse, bewildered.

"Aha, you found him." Keith shook his head, blond locks flying everywhere. His hair was very long for a man, perhaps because of the duration of his sleep. I wondered if I should loan him my ribbon to keep his hair out of his face until he could get it cut. "That is the tower. A fearsome demon has taken residence on the top floor. I really don't know what to do. He is much stronger than he looks, so I decided to seal him off like this."

Why was Anne's cross reacting to a demon? And this one...I had never sensed something as strong as this, not since Dehuai's god ravaged Shanghai...

_A month ago, a person with big wings flew toward the castle!_

"Yuri!" I gasped. Nina's description matched the fallen god, and it explained why Anne's cross was almost burning against my skin. It wasn't reacting to the demon, but to her son underneath.

"Wait a minute. Alice? You mean you think this is..."

"I don't think it," I said, turning to Zhuzhen, "I know it. Yuri is here."

The expression on his face was indecipherable, and not even my Demon Eyes could make sense of the flood of emotions within him. I was overwhelmed as well with relief and joy, Anne's emotions. And perhaps...some of it was my own.

There was a moment of silence as Zhuzhen stared at the door, trying to make sense of this. "Then," he said quietly, directing his question to Keith instead of me, "is it possible that he is the one controlling the monsters?"

"No! You're wrong!" I yelled. My voice echoed off the walls, denying the thought of it over and over. The cross's warmth had turned into a burning fire, furious that he would accuse Yuri of such horrible things. He was just a baby, a little boy--

_No_, I reminded myself, _he's grown now._ _He calls himself Sasha._ The accusation was logical, as Sasha had come here, fused with Dehuai's god, and for all we knew had remained fused with it for the past six months. If that had been the case, he was insane, and the unthinkable became possible, even likely. I shuddered and looked at Zhuzhen's shocked face. Despite my reasoning, anger still clutched at my insides. "I'm sorry, Zhuzhen," I whispered. Slowly, my hands relaxed from the fists they had made. "I don't know what came over me."

I'd never known Anne's cross could affect me so much. Should I--should I take it off? My fingers brushed the chain, but I hadn't made a decision before Keith finally spoke.

"I am inclined to agree with Alice. While it is true the demon is hostile to whomever should intrude upon him, at the same time he has been content to remain in the cell he inhabits in the tower. He has hardly moved from there since arriving." At this Keith chuckled. "My brother and I mistook it as a sign that the demon was wounded, and attempted to drive it off. Needless to say, the attempt was futile and we both ended up badly hurt. But, other than humbling our pride, the demon has done nothing harmful. It is simply a nuisance."

"It's not a threat to anyone?"

"It does not move out of the tower, and everyone in the clan knows not to enter it for the time being. I would say there is no immediate threat."

I wetted my lips, still shaken by what had just happened. "Then it would probably be best," I said hesitantly, "to go back to Bistritz and investigate the monsters further. If he's not causing any trouble, there's no need to bother him..."

"For now," replied Zhuzhen. "We still need to find out what state he's in, and what he's thinking." And the Adept had a somewhat curious expression as he spoke, perhaps trying to discern what I was thinking too.

"So, if I am not intruding...how is it that you two know him?" Keith asked as we exited Blue Castle.

Zhuzhen's answer was brief. "He fought alongside us in China, because we had a common goal."

"He's saved me twice," I told Keith. "If he needs help, I want to help him."

"He didn't help you out of the goodness of his heart," I heard Zhuzhen mutter.

My lips pressed close. I could not trust Anne's emotions, once again welling up at his words, and I waited until I had chosen my words to use them. "I know that, Zhuzhen. I've known it ever since Shanghai, and suspected it even earlier. Even still...I don't think it's wrong to want to help him."

Zhuzhen stopped and turned towards me. His face was relaxed, except for the small frown. "You are going to get your heart broken, Alice."

I hugged my arms around me. "I don't--I don't care for him in that way." It was Anne who cared for him so deeply; I wanted to help him because—because Anne's cross had shown me he still had the potential to be a good person. "But thank you for your concern, Master Zhuzhen."

He shook his head, but had nothing else to say. I was glad, as it was already hard enough leaving Blue Castle. Each step I took was another step away from Yuri, and the spirit within the cross seemed to be all too aware of it. I knew we were returning as soon as we solved the mystery of Bistritz's attacks, but it was still hard to will down the tears that came to my eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Puffy, who helped me find the clue for the coffin puzzle when I was stuck without a backup save. And many thanks to gutterfied for the Shadow Hearts gamescript. 


	9. Blue Castle: Covenant

**Warning:** I showed some parts of this to MikoNoNyte as I wrote this, and she suggested: you might not want to eat while reading the boss battle against Tindalos. I didn't think it was that bad, but better safe than sorry, right?

* * *

Keith made the trip to Bistritz much easier and safer by fighting alongside us, but, in the first battle, it became clear his hair either needed to be tied back or hacked off. Keith was not particularly fond of the hacking idea, and so he ended up sitting on a fallen log as I tied back his hair with my blue ribbon. 

"There you go," I said as I tugged the ribbon into a knot.

"Thank you, Alice," he said. "But are you sure it is all right?"

"It's not like I need it," I said, and tossed my short hair to prove my point. It had started growing back out but only went slightly past my shoulders. I had let my bangs grow out too--there didn't seem a point in keeping my hair styled when it wasn't the right length, and it was easy enough to tuck the extra hair behind my ears.

As Keith stood I yawned. Zhuzhen, sitting against a tree, barely had his eyes open. He'd said we were only going to rest a few minutes but it seemed fatigue was getting the better of him.

"Maybe we should sleep for a while?" I suggested. "Keith, are you tired?"

"Not a bit. I can keep watch, if you need me to."

"I'd be grateful if you did," I replied, lying down on the ground. If it had been warmer my bolero would have done for a makeshift pillow, but as it was I needed its warmth and so I rested my head on my arms instead. Zhuzhen already had his eyes closed. Despite the daylight, once my eyes were shut sleep quickly overtook me.

There was little peace in my sleep. I could hear people arguing and a child sobbing. I wasn't sure if I was awake or dreaming, only aware when I jerked and sat up.

Keith turned his head to look at me, one hand resting idly on his sword. "Are you all right?"

"Fine...fine," I answered. Though it had been short, the rest had helped--a little bit.

With the sun shining down through the foliage, the forest seemed welcoming, not at all creepy as it had been last night. It seemed I had slept longer than I had first thought; the sun was starting to set. But then, looking around, I noticed that Blue Castle was already dark, and its stones had a reddish tint to them that was enhanced by the sunset.

"Keith?" His green eyes darted to me, showing that he was paying attention. "Why is it called Blue Castle?"

He regarded the castle for a minute. "It usually is that color," he said, "But only if there is little or no malice within its walls. I am afraid the demon's malice is causing it to appear like this."

Yuri's malice...if it was that great, we might not be able to reason with him. If he was too far gone, we would have to kill him. "Well, after we've figured out what's going on in Bistritz, Zhuzhen and I will help you take care of that."

"But that distresses you."

"Yes," I said hesitantly, "but we'll do what has to be done. I really hope we'll be able to help him, but...there's the possibility that we won't. There's only so much we can do." I lifted the silver cross from underneath my blouse and unclasped the chain. Maybe it would help to take this to Yuri, but for now the chill I felt whenever I thought of him was too disturbing. I couldn't let Anne's cross distract me from what needed to be done.

It was only a few minutes before Zhuzhen woke up, yawning and stretching. We continued on our way and made it back to Bistritz just after the sun had set.

"My, my, this is disturbing," Keith remarked as the mist of blood enveloped us. "And it seems they fear me now," he added as he looked back and saw the depiction of the sun on the eastern gate.

"Watch out. There are monsters in here," Zhuzhen told him. The reminder seemed necessary with Keith's lax attitude.

"Oh--we never got to ask Michelle about the mayor," I remembered suddenly.

Zhuzhen frowned. "Do you think it might be him?"

"Well, it certainly isn't Keith, and we're fairly certain it's not Yuri...Kevin is the only other person who seems suspicious."

Zhuzhen nodded and walked over to the general store. He knocked on the door and it swung open.

My throat clenched. Why had they left their door unlocked, especially now, with the red mist? "Michelle? Nina?" I called as we walked in.

"Hellooo!" Zhuzhen shouted, but no one answered. What had happened here? It didn't look like monsters had attacked, but then why was no one answering?

Nina burst into the room. Before I could say anything she had taken hold of my hand and clutched it tight. "Alice!"

"What happened?" I asked her.

"My mom! It's my mom, she's--"

She was speaking so quickly the words were nearly incomprehensible. I shook my head. "What happened to your mom? Calm down, now. Talk to me."

The girl nodded, her grip loosening a bit. "A little while ago, the mayor came. He was looking around but then he started asking Mom where you'd gone. He was being really nosy so she asked him to leave, but then he said..."

"What did he say?" Zhuzhen asked. Keith stood behind him in the corner, glancing at the different items in the shop.

"He said that Dad had been helping him...they were researching vampires, because he wanted the treasure in Blue Castle. And while they were doing the research, they found a way to summon monsters...that's why all the monsters have been attacking!"

"But your father was the one who hired us," I said, confused. Then I remembered. Terry's nervousness and the feeling I'd had that he was lying...he had felt guilty.

"Your father didn't intend for it to happen," Zhuzhen told her. "That's why he got us."

She nodded, and then looked down at the ground. "The mayor said...Dad wouldn't have died if he hadn't gone to get you guys. I think...I think the mayor summoned the monsters that...and mom, he--he was telling us to give him the gift that Dad's friend gave to us...he said it was gold dust. Dad asked me to keep it safe, so I told the mayor he couldn't have it, but then..." She bit her lip, her eyes bright with tears as she looked up at me. "He was going to hit me, but my mom stood between us and he took her. I have to give him the gold dust, or else he'll kill her too..."

"How horrible..." I didn't know what I could tell her, how to reassure her.

"That son-of-a-bitch!" Zhuzhen growled. "He's finally shown himself!"

Keith stepped up to my side. "Are you all right, Nina? That must have been terrifying."

She started at his voice. "Oh! You're--"

He placed his hands on her slim shoulders, halting her words. "I promise you I will rescue your mother, so try to keep a stiff upper lip, all right?" The girl quickly wiped the gathering tears away from her eyes and nodded. He nodded and stood upright. "What a fool this mayor is! There's no treasure hidden in the castle."

"We'd better find the mayor, then."

"Wait!" Nina ran over to the counter and lifted up both a letter and a small black pouch. As she brought the items to us I realized they were attached. "This is the gift Dad's friend gave us. But, it seems too heavy to be gold dust."

"Do you suppose it really does contain gold dust?" Zhuzhen wondered, hefting the bag in his hand. "Is it all right?" he asked Nina. She nodded, and he opened up the pouch. For a few seconds he stared into it, puzzled by the discovery. Then he laughed. "Well, I'll be."

I looked into the bag and was surprised to see seeds. I looked at the letter attached to it:

"Dear Terry. This is to wish you and your family happiness and wealth everlasting..."

No wonder the mayor had thought it was something valuable. I had to wonder what good wheat seeds were in a place with such barren soil as Bistritz.

Zhuzhen closed the bag and handed it back to Nina. "This belongs to you, Nina, and you can bet they'll be a lot more use to you than that rotten old mayor. Take good care of them."

She nodded and we walked out of the store. Once it had closed I heard the sound of locks being turned. At least then, Nina would be safe from monsters...except for the ones that looked human.

There were monsters still prowling about in Bistritz, but with Keith's assistance they were all quickly dispatched. He seemed to be right about vampires being tougher than humans, because he could withstand physical injuries without even flinching.

We reached the mayor's house. Instead of the front door we stood in front of the entrance to the small addition. I could sense two people in there, but everything was quiet...

"Are we ready?" Keith asked.

I bit into a mana leaf, quickly restoring the energy I had lost from healing him and Zhuzhen in our encounters. "Yes, we're ready."

Keith nodded and then rammed his shoulder into the wooden door. The force broke the lock, allowing the door to swing open freely.

Immediately I spotted Michelle. She lay unconscious on a makeshift bed. Her hair had fallen out of its bun and there was a dark bruise on the side of her face. Kevin stood over her, but the moment we had entered he had turned his eyes to us.

"Nina told us everything!" I told him. "We're here to take Michelle back."

His eyes were wide, but then he laughed. "So you actually came back. I figured you'd slunk out of town with your tails between your legs. If you're here instead of Nina with the gold dust, hurry up and hand it over!"

"Shut up!" Zhuzhen shouted. "What made you think it'd be some piffling gold dust, anyway? The only thing you're going to get from us is a hundred knocks on the head."

"Is that right? So you don't care what happens to Michelle here? Well, it'll be too late for regrets when she dies because of you!"

He was willing to kill her just to get rich. I was disgusted, seeing how corrupt he truly was; why hadn't we realized earlier that he was the one responsible for the evil in Bistritz?

"I won't tolerate anyone causing people injury on my land," Keith said in a low voice. "I'll kill you if you lay so much as a finger on that woman."

Kevin looked him over and snorted, apparently deciding from his mismatched appearance that he wasn't to be taken seriously. "A new addition to your party? Well, that means more food for my loyal servants. This is my village! You have no right to come here and tell me how I should be doing things!"

Keith smirked. "You don't know about me, do you? I'm your master, you know. I'll show you the true power of a vampire."

The mayor's eyes widened and he jerked back. "A vampire?"

Zhuzhen chuckled at the reaction. "That's right!" he jeered. "He's the guy you've been looking for."

Kevin shook his head. He seemed scared, but rather than giving Michelle back he had decided to stand his ground. "You can't trick me! Why are you all so eager to die?" he shouted. "I'll devour you with my new body!"

A...new body? My eyes widened as he moaned, his eyes rolling back in their sockets. He fell to his hands and knees and his body began to twist and grow. I gasped and Keith moved in front of me, unsheathing his sword.

"Alice, Zhuzhen, please stay behind me," he instructed.

"Right," I answered, fixated on Kevin's head. Though I wanted to, I could not make myself look away as muscle and bone split the flesh, leaving pieces of it to peel off and fall to the ground. His clothes ripped as he grew larger, revealing only muscle and bone. Even his eyes grew bigger, to the point that the right one proved too large for its socket and popped out, hanging against his face.

His new body was that of a gargantuan dog that was Zhuzhen's height. It snarled at us, saliva dripping from its mouth.

Keith raised his sword and, in an instant, vanished and reappeared at the monster's side. He swung, cutting at the muscles, his sword halting at the bone beneath. The dog growled, but when it lunged at the vampire he vanished, reappearing in front of me.

With a low growl, the dog opened its mouth and breathed out fire, turning its head each way to attack all of us. Though Zhuzhen was relatively unscathed, being farther away from the monster and a Fire element himself, both Keith and I were burned by the fire. I opened my book to heal Keith, but he shook his head. "I do not need it."

It seemed doubtful, as the sleeves of his burgundy suit had been burned by the fire--with the clothing being so ancient, I was a bit surprised it'd lasted this long--and there were burn marks on his arms, but he did not seem to be in that much pain, so I accepted his words and healed myself. I heard Zhuzhen's chant and about a dozen arms emerged from the ground, clawing at the beast. As the beast was thus distracted, Keith raised his sword and sheath, waving both in front of him as he hummed. My first thought was that he was in need of a pure leaf, but then I saw a design appearing in the air where his sword and sheath had swung. Once it was complete, he struck the earth with the point of his sword. The dog monster recoiled as lights emerged from its body, drifting in the air towards Keith. When they touched him, his burns vanished.

I opened my book and cast Blessed Light. The monster howled and then bounded at me, knocking aside Keith. Before I could get back it seized my arm in its mouth, making the Tome of the Sun drop to the ground. I screamed as its teeth sank in, easily cutting through jacket, skin and muscle. Its saliva dripped in the wound and my eyes widened in horror as coldness spread through my arm. On my hand I could see the skin blackening and dying.

Keith charged into the dog's side, striking muscle and causing bits of it to fall off the exposed rib cage. When the beast let go to snap at Keith I collapsed, cradling the dead arm. "Cure," I murmured, but the spell did little, scaring me even more. What if it couldn't be healed?

Red fabric rustled as Zhuzhen knelt next to me and took the dead arm into his hands. He recited a healing spell and I gasped when all of the nerves burned--but at least the feeling had returned to my arm, and the color was creeping back. I wanted to thank him, but when we heard a loud growl Zhuzhen swore and rose to fend the monster off with his staff. My book lay by one huge paw, and I reached out to grab it. I opened it, scrambling to turn the pages with tingling fingers, and finally found the correct page. "Blessed Light!" I shouted. The attack hit the beast's underside and it howled in pain, backing away from us only to have its energy sucked away by another of Keith's spells.

I looked over at the vampire. Though the spell healed him, the skin on his chest was still cut open from clawing...but no blood came from the wound. It startled me because I had been thinking of him as human, and this had just reminded me that he wasn't. Still, it seemed a painful injury and so I started a healing spell. The wound finally sealed as Keith attacked again. With Zhuzhen already in front of the monster, Keith came from the side, aiming for its neck. Muscle fell away, and with a low growl the monster turned towards Keith, which resulted in its dangling eyeball being cut off in a sudden stroke. The eyeball landed on another of the makeshift beds and rolled around, gazing at all.

Half-blinded, the beast was less able to keep up with the onslaught of blows from both Keith and Zhuzhen. As they kept him occupied I maneuvered around him so that I could kneel by Michelle. Her breathing was even and she didn't seem seriously injured, so I cast a spell to heal the bruises on her face and head. She aroused and her eyes widened at the sight she saw, but in a few words I reassured her that everything would be all right. My attention returned to the fight. Keith's sword had been merciless, exposing more of the creature's skeleton. I cast Blessed Light at its back. The spell knocked it forward, and then with a growl the beast started to turn towards me with its remaining eye glaring at me. Blinded on the other side, it did not notice Keith raising his sword and sheath once more. This time when he struck the earth, swarms of bats appeared and in the small room there was nothing to see but bats. For an instant I was frightened, but none of them attacked Michelle or me. Instead they dove at the monster, screeching as they picked away at his flesh, again and again until nothing remained but glistening white bone. With nothing to hold it together, the skeleton fell apart. Each bone turned black and melted, creating a huge black stain on the floor.

Keith smiled, satisfied, and sheathed his sword. At that moment, the door banged open and Nina ran in. "Mom!" she shouted, flinging herself into her mother's arms.

"Nina!" Michelle kissed her daughter's forehead and then hugged her tight.

I was surprised at first that Nina had come through the red mist, but when I looked out the open door, there was no mist at all. I smiled. Bistritz was finally safe, and we had been able to reunite Nina with her mother. "I'm so glad to see you two back together," I said.

"Thank you!" Nina said. She was beaming with joy.

"You're welcome," I answered.

"Why don't we go back to your house?" Keith suggested. "You have both had a very trying day."

Michelle nodded, and both she and her daughter stood. We strolled back to their house, not hurried by the threat of danger...without the fog, Bistritz seemed that it could be a pleasant, peaceful village. Many of the doors and windows were still boarded up, but I knew that soon enough people would realize there was no need for fear anymore.

When we had come back to the shop, Michelle turned to us. Though she must have been wearied from what had happened, she thanked us profusely, both for saving her and for ridding Bistritz of monsters.

"There's no need, lady," Zhuzhen said, stopping her. "We were just keeping our promise to your husband."

"Alice," Nina said. She held the black pouch and letter out to me. "I want you to have one of my treasures."

"Wow, thank you. You know what? I want you and your mom to keep this," I said, handing it back. After all, for them it was a gift from Terry's friend, and hopefully a happy reminder of Terry as well. That could be helpful to both of them.

"Yeah," Zhuzhen said. "The wheat seeds in the bag will grow, even in a cold place like this. The seeds have been cross-bred." I glanced at Zhuzhen, surprised; I'd never realized before he knew so much about crops. "They'll grow and bring happiness to this village."

Nina clutched the bag, looking at it in wonder. "Seeds of happiness..."

"Sow the seeds with your mother, all right?" Keith told her. "You let me know if anything scary happens again."

"I will."

"Goodbye, Michelle," I said.

We left the house, and then Zhuzhen turned to both Keith and me. "Well...it's time to see what Sasha's been up to."

I bit my lip. Though I was glad the trouble in Bistritz had concluded happily, I hadn't expected it to be resolved so swiftly. Now we would be seeing Yuri, and who knew what was going to happen?

We walked back towards Blue Castle as far as we could, and then stopped to camp for the night. It was a bit awkward sleeping in a tent with two men, and I volunteered to keep a watch for them. Keith initially protested, saying he didn't need the sleep, but when I insisted he shrugged and relented. As I left the tent I could hear him remarking, "My, she's willful," to Zhuzhen, and wondered what he would have thought of Margarete if she were with us.

Nothing eventful that night, and I must confess that we probably would have been in a great amount of trouble if something had. I kept being distracted by the dark castle looming over us on the hill...even when I didn't look at it, it felt as though something was moving within the castle, watching us. When I looked back over my shoulder, there was a movement up high in the darkness of the tower. Yuri. Though the silhouette had only been visible for a brief moment, it had been too small to be Dehuai's fallen god, and that knowledge brought a rush of relief. Then Yuri was in control of himself.

If that's true, though, why would he lock himself away?

A hand clapped on my shoulder and I jumped.

"Perhaps you should get some sleep," Zhuzhen said wryly. "I'll keep watch now."

"I'm sorry! I thought I saw..." and I trailed off, unsure if I should tell him, my fingers reaching up to touch a chain that was gone.

"When did you take Anne's cross off?"

Zhuzhen had managed to startle me twice now. Wearing the silver cross underneath my tops, I hadn't thought anyone else had seen it. "Ummm, I took it off earlier, before we got back to Bistritz." I wanted to ask him when he had noticed it, but if I asked that it would as if I had been trying to conceal it. Which...I suppose I had been, but not out of deceitfulness. "I want to apologize for my outburst earlier today...or was it yesterday...what time is it now?" I wondered, confused.

The Adept chuckled. "Past midnight, according to Keith's watch, but who knows how old that thing is." He frowned slightly. "There's no need to apologize. I was wrong to blame him for the monsters."

Then he wasn't upset with me. I sighed.

"But...we do need to talk about Sasha. What are we going to do when we find him? Especially if he's insane..."

"I don't think he is," I said hesitantly.

"Well, if that's the case, then we should find out why he's staying here of all places. But his behavior from Keith's account does seem abnormal."

"Mm." I nodded, not really sure what to say to that. If he was human again, how could he be insane from losing control to Dehuai's god? Or...had he gone insane from something else? "Then, if he is insane, maybe, maybe there's something we could do for him." Though if he had been mad for six months, it did not seem likely a pure root would bring him back to his senses.

"We may have to kill him, you know."

"I know. But, it would be better than just leaving him in pain."

Zhuzhen looked hard at me. "I meant, we might have to kill him whether he's insane or not."

"Why?" I demanded. "Why would we do that? If he's not threatening anyone--"

"He said he was going to return to Roger Bacon."

My heart clenched. "But he hasn't."

"We don't know that. If he is sane, why is he acting so strangely? Who knows, maybe vampires are essential to whatever Bacon's plotting."

"You aren't even giving him a chance!"

"Alice, lower your voice."

I glanced at the tent where Keith was sleeping, but if the vampire could sleep for two centuries I doubted an argument would rouse him. Still, I made an effort to moderate my voice. I didn't want to lose my temper. "You're judging him already, and we don't even know what he's thinking."

"Even though he's stated his intentions...you don't think he showed us enough of his character in China?"

"He hasn't been doing anything though." I shook my head. "You hate him for what happened in Shanghai, but it wasn't his fault."

The Adept whirled on me, his dark eyes blazing. "Not his fault? If he hadn't fused with that thing-"

"-Bacon still would have summoned it-"

"-and Sasha told him to!" he whispered harshly. "Why didn't he even try to convince Bacon not to do it? Bacon was hesitating!"

"He...he probably knew Roger Bacon wouldn't stop..." But at the same time, if he had cared about the people of Shanghai...shouldn't he have at least tried?

Zhuzhen had heard my doubt. "You know for yourself what kind of person he is. If he's helping Roger Bacon--"

"I know more than that," I insisted. _I know who he was._ "Isn't there something else we can do? I won't kill him, it's just wrong."

"Do you have any rational alternatives?"

He stressed the word 'rational'. Rational, logical--I knew I was thinking with my heart instead of with my mind, but was that necessarily wrong?

I shook my head. "I have an idea, though. I think you would be surprised if you just gave Sasha another chance to prove himself." I looked the Adept directly in the eyes. "And that's what I plan to give him."

I walked past him and into the tent. I lay down on the far side of Keith and stared at the flaps, my insides boiling with anger at Zhuzhen, and fear that he was right. It took me a long time to get to sleep.

* * *

The next day brought us back to Blue Castle. Keith broke the seal on the tower's entrance and we climbed up the huge set of stairs. We had to go carefully, because large bats would swoop down at us and to take a tumble down the stone steps would result in serious injury. Sometimes we even found ourselves cornered by the ghosts of knights that had been dead for centuries. If Keith recognized the armor one was wearing, after it was defeated he would regale us with a story about why the knight was haunting the tower and how he had died. It helped to fill the silence. 

Zhuzhen had not spoken to me since last night, and honestly I did not know what to say to him. Whenever I looked over at him he seemed to be deep in thought, probably about Yuri. If our eyes met--well, I do not know how he reacted because I looked away first every time.

"What are those doors?" I asked Keith, startling him. Without realizing I had interrupted his monologue on the knight who had lost his soul.

"Cells," he answered. "None of them are in use however--besides the one the demon occupies, of course."

"He's not a demon," I said quietly.

"He isn't?" Zhuzhen muttered on the other side of Keith.

I rounded on him. The only time he had spoken to me, and it was to accuse Yuri again? "No, he isn't. You know very well he isn't, Zhuzhen, why do you have to say things like that?"

For the first time, when our eyes met we each held the gaze, glaring at each other. My fists were clenching.

"Er...Alice? Master Zhuzhen?" Keith had a puzzled smile as he looked down at us. "We're at the top."

There was a cool evening breeze as we sat for a few minutes, resting. There was another door, leading into no doubt another cell.

"So that's his," I murmured, and I searched in my belongings for the warm cross. After a moment's hesitation, I removed my father's cross and put on Anne's. Its warmth comforted me and for an instant I could feel the weight of a child in my arms. Surely if there was a way to reach out to Yuri, Anne's cross would help me find it.

Sitting across from me, Zhuzhen eyed the silver cross. "Alice, we need to talk."

"No, we do not." I did not want to talk to him. Not if he was only going to try to convince me that we needed to kill Yuri.

"Yes, we do. When Keith and his brother approached Sasha, he attacked them," he stated. He looked to the vampire for agreement and Keith nodded. "We need to be sure of what we're going to do if he attacks us."

"And what if he doesn't attack us?" I countered. "Are you still going to murder him?"

Despite my harsh words, Zhuzhen's response was calm and reasoned. "If he doesn't attack us...then we find out why he's here and what he's been doing. And we'll decide where to go from there. But if he attacks us, we need to stop him."

"Kill him?"

"If necessary."

Yuri wouldn't attack us. He knew us, knew we wouldn't hurt him. Well, I amended, still looking at Zhuzhen, one of us wouldn't.

"All right." We both stood.

"Then we are all ready?" Keith asked. "I must warn you, he can attack quite fiercely."

I winced at his words. "Yes, Keith, we're ready."

Keith pushed open the door and we walked inside.

The only source of light in the cell was a window set high. Yuri sat directly underneath it, awash in blue moonlight.

"Yuri!" I exclaimed, but Zhuzhen grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Wait. Something's wrong."

Any sharp response vanished from my mind when I realized Zhuzhen was right; something was definitely wrong. There was blood around Yuri's mouth, dried, easily explained by the skeletons of bats around him. Yuri's clothes were shreds, barely on him--his pants had numerous rips in them, while his shirt was only the pieces of fabric trapped by the heavy harness that had served as armor in Asia.

But much more disturbing were the low moans he made as he slept as if in pain, one hand reaching out. The moans stopped and his hand dropped, the needle striking against the stone floor. Why was he sleeping with his armor and weapons on?

I shook off Zhuzhen's hand, hearing Keith ask if this was indeed the person we knew, Zhuzhen replying it was. My hand rested on Yuri's shoulder and I shook him lightly, hoping not to scare him.

His eyes opened, and they were dark and void. He didn't seem to see me; in fact, his hand rose in a careless gesture and I jumped back to avoid the hand needle.

Yuri moaned again and his face contorted. With the dried blood caked on, his expression was gruesome.

"He has every appearance of a human, but it's as if he has lost his soul somewhere," Keith said quietly. "In his present state, he is nothing but a maleficent monster."

"Then..." Zhuzhen trailed off, but I knew what he meant. Yuri had lost his soul to the Seraphic Radiance. We would have to kill him.

Yuri stood, swaying slightly on his feet. "Yuri? Don't you remember me?" I asked in a small voice. He looked so vulnerable, but his behavior was alarming.

This time he seemed to notice me, and the empty eyes stared at me. "You...you've come to kill mom, haven't you...?"

My throat clenched. "What?" It had been a while since I'd practiced my Chinese, but the tone in his words was enough to scare me.

"You damned monsters..." His fists rose as he shouted at me, "You're here for mom, aren't you!"

"Stand back!" Keith shouted, but Yuri's fist was already swinging. His knuckles connected with my cheek and the sheer force of the punch knocked me to the ground. I put a hand to my cheek, but nearly forgot the pain when I saw Keith unsheathing his sword and charging forward.

"No," I gasped. Now that Keith had drawn his weapon, Yuri would be even more convinced we meant harm. But--he still had his soul. If he could remember his mother, he must still have his soul!

I clambered to my feet and turned around. Yuri had caught Keith's sword on the edge of his hand needle and kneed the vampire in the groin. For the first time I heard the nobleman utter an imprecation and he backed away. Yuri, however, was not about to let him go.

How could he be so powerful in this condition? But then, he was fighting out of fear...he thought we were the monsters that Wugui had made to kill him and his mother--he would use all of his strength to stop us. I turned the pages in the tome of the sun, focusing on the cure spell I knew we would need.

Yuri was keeping pace with Keith, blocking all of his swings and occasionally, when he could, attacking the vampire. By now however Keith was expecting this and shielded himself as best as he could with his free arm. Keith was not giving Yuri the chance to start his own offensive, and it soon fell into a pattern of Keith attacking, Yuri blocking and then trying to get his own shot in, and Keith blocking it. What concerned me though was that Keith seemed to be losing; with every attack he was backing up towards me.

Suddenly though, Keith swung powerfully, forcing Yuri back a step when he blocked it. As Yuri's fist rose up to punch, the vampire vanished--and reappeared behind him, his sword raised to stab the wide-eyed fighter in the back.

"Don't!" I screamed.

Keith halted, startled by my outburst, but Yuri moved quickly and stabbed the blond's sword arm with his hand needle. Keith hissed in pain and lashed out with his left arm, striking Yuri full in the face. I was surprised to see Yuri stagger back, even dropping the hand needle he had stabbed Keith with; his attacks had been so strong, but he couldn't withstand the same sort of force.

I cast the cure spell, focusing on Keith's arm. I didn't want the vampire to have to drink Yuri's blood, especially with how weak he already was. Yuri was regaining his breath, glancing uncertainly between Keith and the weapon he had dropped.

Keith surprised me by sheathing his sword. "Your name is Yuri, is it not?" His voice was even, despite Yuri injuring him just seconds ago. "There's no need to fight. If you calm down and put your weapon away, I'm sure we can settle this peacefully."

"I...I..." Yuri was still speaking in Chinese, his voice full of fear. I didn't understand; Yuri knew English, had spoken it fluently, but right now he was acting as though he didn't understand it.

"Yuri, what's wrong?" I asked, using Chinese. He turned towards me.

"The monsters--I thought you were--" He stopped and his brown eyes widened.

"Yuri?"

"You're wearing my mom's cross." My hand reached up and covered the small cross, not that it did any good; Yuri clearly did not remember that he'd given it to me. "Why are you wearing it? What did you do to my mom!" he shouted as he walked towards me. Then he stopped and cradled his head, nearly cutting himself with the weapon in his hand. "Mom...where's mom? No--no no no no, mom, don't--" and he shook his head more fiercely, tears running down his cheeks until he screamed and a white light surrounded him.

_He's fusing_, I realized, and then I heard Zhuzhen cast a fire spell. As a skeletal hand with long claws grasped at my neck, discolored arms erupted from the ground, clawing at the monster. I backed away, looking at the skull that was bare of skin. Even the flesh that did cover its bones was leathery and sagging. It was the same monster that had attacked Yuri in the Fengtian sewers, but then how was it that Yuri had it?

The fusion monster growled and spread its bat-like wings, covering the distance between him and Zhuzhen in a heartbeat. If he was insane, there was no way for him to control the fusion monster, and I grasped my tome tightly. He attacked Zhuzhen twice, striking with his claws, and then rose in the air, directing his feet towards Zhuzhen so that the hooves would batter the Adept as he came down. It was at that moment that I cast Blessed Light.

The spell threw the demon up to the wall, but it caught itself and sprang back with its wings spread wide, this time directed at me. I raised my book, my mind still racing to figure out what I should do when Keith stepped in front of me, his sword drawn again. An instant before the demon would have been upon him, he struck--slashing his sword across its chest. The demon's body spasmed, its wings drawing in, and momentum carried it past us until it crashed into the opposite side of the wall.

For a long moment, we just watched the creature, uncertain if it would rise again. There was something black oozing from the wound and it was completely still, but the rotting smell told us this was a demon of death; perhaps it simply did not need breath.

We had our answer when the creature's form disappeared into light, leaving Yuri on the ground, unconscious. His appearance was piteous; fighting one-on-one with Keith had earned him bruises, and the black substance on his chest was beginning to turn reddish as blood mixed with it. I walked over to him, my tome held out for a Cure spell, but when I knelt by his side Zhuzhen grabbed my shoulder.

"Leave him," he said simply. "He's lost his soul."

I stared at him and then shook my head, not even answering as I brought out a canteen, uncapping it so the water could cleanse his wound.

"Alice--"

"He hasn't lost his soul. You heard him, Zhuzhen, he remembers his mother."

"But nothing else."

There was a bruise forming on Yuri's head from the impact with the wall, and his breathing was unsteady. I placed my hands on his chest and closed my eyes to concentrate. Tears leaked down my face. "**Cure**," I said, but felt nothing, so I opened my eyes.

His wound was still bleeding heavily, and it seemed my spell had done nothing at all.

"Alice...I am not certain you can heal him," Keith said softly. "He seems to have become weaker since when my brother and I fought him. It's as if...he already had one foot in the grave."

"Shut up!" I yelled. I couldn't sort out who was upset--Anne or me, but most likely it was both of us, and tears blurred my vision as I cast another healing spell, then another.

"That's enough," Zhuzhen said. "There's nothing we can do for him."

Why wasn't my magic working? His chest was still bleeding, and my hands were becoming stained red. I cast the healing spell again and again to no avail, pressing down harder with my hands in a futile effort to stop the bleeding. When Zhuzhen touched my arm I shook him off, though I felt dizzy from casting the same spell repeatedly.

"God, please, let me heal him," I whispered. I tried to cast the spell once more, but instead everything turned black and I collapsed.

I awoke to a canvas of black over me. It was hard to call it a sky, because it had no moon, nor stars; it had nothing but darkness.

My head, surprisingly, felt fine. Usually casting too many spells resulted in a severe headache, but that wasn't the case. Then I remembered Yuri's wound.

"Yuri?" I called, rising to my feet. I wasn't in the castle tower anymore; instead there were graves all around. My hands clutched each other as I looked around nervously. "Keith? Zhuzhen? Where are you?"

There was nothing but a suffocating silence. Perhaps we were back in Bistritz. The thick fog here was not unlike the fog in the town. When I looked back though, I saw a tall gate and absolute darkness past it. No, this was someplace else entirely. I shook my head and stepped forward.

As I came closer to the graves, my heart clenched with the thought that I had been abandoned. Except--I knew that wasn't rational, Zhuzhen and Keith wouldn't leave me. No, this loneliness and despair wasn't my own. This was...

"Yuri?" I called. It seemed almost as if he were standing all around me, I knew this sadness, had seen it when he tried to kill himself.

_One foot in the grave_...the thought spurred me onwards. I glanced at the mounds of earth with graves on them, but they were small and it was readily apparent that Yuri was not on any of them.

A gate held my interest. It was like the one I had woken up by, but the night sky beyond the gate held hundreds of stars and a full moon. I gazed up at its luminescence for a moment before lowering my eyes; beneath it was a small hill with a tree, and a silhouette of a man digging. "Yuri!" He did not hear me. I pushed against the gate but it would not budge. Though I put my whole body into the effort, there was not even the slightest creak.

Laughter stopped me and I looked towards its source. Further in the graveyard, there was a temple. Pieces of stone had broken off of it and vines dangled down its sides, but it seemed as though it must have been a grand building once upon a time.

At the temple's steps were four posts, and above each a mask floated. I felt a twinge of fear when I first saw them, laughing, but then I realized that if they could laugh, they could speak, and I needed to find out how to get to Yuri so I could help him.

A yellow mask with a beak for a mouth tsked at my approach. "Well, well, what have we here? You're a beautiful little girl, hmmm?" Holes for eyes narrowed at me. His appearance might have been comical if not for the double-edged sword that protruded from the mask.

"Who'd have thought she'd come all this way to the mind's darkness?" a wooden mask gloated. There was a small carving of a staff beneath the flat line that opened and closed as he talked. "You wish to sacrifice your body, your heart, your very life over the lad?"

I scarcely heard the question, my mind still trying to absorb the information he'd given me. I was in the mind's darkness...no wonder I felt Yuri all around me...this was his mind.

"Who are you?" I asked. After all, if this was Yuri's mind, these must be some part of him...the more I knew, the better prepared I would be to deal with him.

This time a green mask, shaped like a lion's head but with horns--perhaps a chimera--laughed and responded. "Are you not frightened by us? My, you're brave for a little girl! We are the unconscious inside the boy. People call us Fear, Envy, Anger, and Hate!"

The last mask, a blue fish with a grail set atop its head chuckled. Just what were these masks finding so amusing? "The boy's soul you're searching for is seeking death, and preparing for it."

I started. Yuri may have lost his sanity, true, and he had been very weak in the tower. But he had been eating and he fought us in self-defense. I hadn't thought he was suicidal. "Seeking...death?" I asked, hoping the mask was wrong.

The first mask tsked at me again. "Yes, retreating to the memories of his childhood. He earnestly seeks the escape of death – a place with no suffering, where no one can hurt him."

_He's afraid of being hurt? He's so strong with his fusion..._

The wooden mask guffawed. "So cute…" he said derisively. "Those who come here can find peace. One can join the consciousnesses of their dead mother or father. No need to continue life's hard struggles.

"The lad is mistaken. Running away isn't a bad thing. After all, each person cares about themselves the most."

I bit my lip at this thinking. Certainly death was a reunion with our loved ones...but only if we had lived a good life, and died without regrets. That Yuri would want to kill himself showed in itself that he would never gain peace in death.

"What's the matter?" the chimera roared at me. "Your expression… are you upset?"

"I won't let Yuri die," I told him, and the masks exploded with laughter.

"What a silly thing to say," one mask said after it finally calmed down. "Would you drag a poor soul who's finally about to find tranquility back to the burdens of life?"

"My, you're an interesting girl!" the mask with the sword exclaimed. "May I ask? To this soul who was unable to obtain his father's protection or his mother's affection… What exactly do you have to offer?"

I thought about it...but really, what could I give Yuri? Was there anything that he would want of me, unless it was to drag me off to Roger Bacon? And, I was hoping to avoid that outcome... "I...I don't know," I murmured, feeling small when I heard their snickers.

"The freedom of death – a resting place for a soul. Are you saying there is something more this lad desires?"

"I don't know what I have to offer Yuri. I just know--it's better than this! It's better than a lie. If he really wants to find peace, well...I don't know that I can give him that, but I'll do my utmost to help him find it."

"And what do you want of the lad, in exchange for your help?"

The only thing I wanted was safety from Roger Bacon, and I already knew that no one, not even Yuri, could give me that. So it was truthfully that I said: "I don't want anything from him. It's enough if I can help him."

The fish with the cup on its head laughed once more. "You make me laugh," he said, rather stupidly. "Unconditional devotion… No such virtue exists." Then he paused, his mouth gaping when it opened like the fish out of water he was. My lips twitched slightly with a smile; it was hard to see him as Fear or Envy or any of those negative emotions with that image in my mind. "…On second thought, there is one. The incomprehensible behavior humans call 'love'. But you don't… not this soul?"

My hand rose to my chest. "Oh..." I breathed softly. Zhuzhen had suggested the same thing. Did I love Yuri? I cared about him enough to want to help him. Compassion was a type of love. Which had the mask meant? But it was love and so I nodded.

The sword mask scoffed. "This gets more interesting by the minute! Such ridiculousness..." He paused and considered for a moment. "Very well. If you're that determined, we'll open the Gate of Self. The lad's soul is inside."

"The Gate of Self…" I repeated to myself, mulling over it. If that was the Gate of Self, what did it make this graveyard that was outside of it, not to mention these masks? They had said they were his subconscious, but it sounded as though they were not part of his 'self'. It was more important to find Yuri though, before he killed himself, and so I walked away instead of asking the masks.

"However!"

There was no hint of laughter in the sword mask's voice. That, more than anything, made me stop and look at him.

"Set one foot in there… and you must bear the lad's karma with him. Even so, will you go?" he asked. "The Four Mask's curse is binding. In return for opening the Gate, we will one day come for your soul."

They would come for my soul? I looked at these masks, wondering exactly what they were. Perhaps they belonged to the devil. But...I had asked God for a chance to help Yuri, and here I was.

The mask grew impatient with my silence, and asked again, "Are you willing to sacrifice your own soul to rescue him? If so, proceed…"

I nodded, certain they had told me all they would, and walked away. Behind me I could hear their mutterings and whispers. Could they really take my soul? I hesitated at the gate, seeing it wide open, as if it would take me in whole and trap me in the fires of hell. But...no, I was doing this to save Yuri; I needed to have faith, both in the Lord and in him.

A shudder came over me as I walked through, but I shook it off and ran up the grassy slope. A gnarled tree grew at the top of the hill. Beneath its crown, Yuri threw all his body into digging, clods of earth flying.

"Yuri, what are you digging?" I asked him before I realized the shape of the hole, long and narrow to lay a body in. "This is...a grave."

Of course. He wanted death, was seeking it, so why did it surprise me so much that he was anticipating it by digging himself a grave? Yuri continued digging, seeming as though he had never heard me.

"Stop!" I shouted at him. "Stop it, Yuri!"

He jerked in surprise and held the hoe in one hand as he wiped his brow with the other. Then he turned to me, and he was smiling more than I'd ever seen him smile before. "What is it, mommy?" I couldn't think of what to say to this and he laughed. "Aren't I a good boy? I've got to help dad any way I can!"

"This isn't a garden!" I said, seizing his arm. I was scared. He was so happy about killing himself. "You're digging your own grave, don't you see that?"

He shook his head, his smile growing. "Oh, c'mon, stop pulling my leg! I've got to seed the farm before winter comes. Now, move aside," he said, and shook off my hand. Taking up the hoe again, he struck the earth again and again, making the grave deeper.

"Yuri..." This time he did not acknowledge me. What could I do? Just like in Blue Castle, he was delusional. He would not listen to words, and anything more direct might prompt another attack.

That was when the fox-faced man appeared from behind the tree. He chuckled at Yuri but then noticed me. "Hey, you." I was surprised that I could understand him, when before he had spoken only Japanese. But then, if this was Yuri's mind and soul, perhaps language had no place here. "What are you doing here?"

"You..." Why was he in here, I wondered, and then looked at the man who was still digging. "You put Yuri under a spell, didn't you?" I demanded. He'd wanted to kill Yuri in Asia, had laughed at his weakness...he must be amused to see Yuri dying in this manner.

"Wow, wait a second here. He chose to dig his own grave." The fox mask smirked at me. "And what are you here for? Waiting to put flowers on it?"

"Of course not!" I said angrily. "I'm here to help him!"

"Help him?" he scoffed. "You want to help this piece of garbage? You don't know anything about him, do you?"

I returned the gaze of the mask's eye slits, confident. I had known Yuri in Asia, and I knew what his youth had been like. "And you do? I know...you're not his father. Who are you?"

"Huh. You think you know so much. But if you were really smart, you wouldn't be here." He crossed his arms over his chest, staring at me. "It's hopeless, girl. Give it up."

"Dad, how much do I have to do? Should I keep digging?" Yuri asked pleadingly. I turned to him, but the masked man only snorted.

"Deeper, idiot. Keep digging!"

Yuri flinched at the harsh words. I reached towards him, but without even looking at me he turned back and started digging again.

"See? He doesn't want to live," the man in the green army coat told me. "That's all I have to do. He doesn't protest. He wants to die, he's just scared. So I give him a little encouragement whenever he needs it."

I shook my head. "He doesn't need any encouragement. If you were really his father, you wouldn't do this to him."

"Maybe you're right. But then, you don't know all the horrible things he's done. I'm pretty disgusted with him. You see," he said, stepping closer to me, "I'm the embodiment of his weakness. His fear, his self-loathing…I know more about him than you ever could, girl."

I bit my lip. Yuri hated himself for the things he'd done…didn't that mean he was sorry for doing them? Then he still remembered what his parents had taught him about right and wrong. "It doesn't matter what he's done. He can still change."

The masked man threw his head back and laughed. "Change? He won't even try. He can't face himself. He can't fight the Seraphic Radiance. All he can do is curl up and hope to die quick enough!"

Yuri was still striking the earth with the hoe, steadily bringing himself closer to death. "Yuri," I called. "Yuri." He didn't respond at all, not even faltering in his swings. When I touched his shoulder he simply shook me off again. "Yuri!" My voice was strangled as my throat tightened. There was nothing that I could say to reach him.

"See?" the other man said gleefully. "Absolutely hopeless."

"Stop it!" I shouted at him. Tears were rising up in my eyes at the awful thought that he was right, that I'd come too late to help Yuri. "He is not hopeless, he can still change as long as he's alive! You might know everything he's done, but you don't know what he can do because you don't believe in him," and I halted as the tears streaked down my cheeks. I swallowed the lump in my throat before continuing. "You can't believe in anything. So what—what would you know?"

I wiped my face and then looked up at the masked man. His eyes were narrowed with fury, and his entire body was tensed. "You're crying for him? I hate that weepy crap!"

Before I could move, his fist struck me squarely in the cheek. It was the exact same place where Yuri had punched me before and I could not bite back a cry of pain as I fell.

I heard the hoe drop to the ground. Yuri knelt next to me and examined my bruised cheek, touching my face gently. He was aware of himself now, and I stared up at him, wondering. Then Yuri stood and walked up to his 'father', shoulders squared and hands balled into fists.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Stop it, Dad!" Yuri told him. And even though it hurt, I smiled a bit as I stood. Yuri was afraid of his father, but he could stand up to him if it was for Anne. All he needed was to find his courage…and he would be able to change. "Don't hit Mom!"

"Oh, shut up, idiot!" the other man exploded, punching him in the nose. Yuri fell to one knee, the blood running down his face.

"Yuri!"

"Keep digging!" the man in green ordered. Instead, Yuri lashed out, rising to deliver a powerful kick to the man's stomach. He swore as he got back up. "You're turning against me?" he demanded of Yuri.

"You… You're not my dad…" Yuri whispered, his fists trembling with anger.

The fox mask chuckled. "This is too funny! Let's do it, weakling!" he shouted, striking Yuri down again.

I knelt down at Yuri's side. This was it, I knew it. Either Yuri would change or he would die instead. "Yuri, don't be scared of him," I told him. "He's just a part of you. He's not Ben. Your father loved you, you should know that. Don't waste your time on regrets when you can still change things! You're not dead yet!"

Yuri's eyes widened. Wiping the blood away with his hand, he rose and approached his other half, who put up his fists and jumped back. "She's right, isn't she?" he said, and this time he sounded like the Sasha I had known in Asia, not a frightened boy. "I'm still alive, and I can change things...say, for starters, your face."

The other man folded his arms and the light of fusion washed over him. Yuri seemed to recognize this and snapped at me, "Alice, get out of the way!"

I backed away and Yuri did his own fusion, changing into the strange green-and-white-furred tiger with a scream. His other half had chosen the same being of death that had attacked me in Blue Castle's tower, and was already rising into the air for an attack. The claws on his feet raked Yuri's face and chest.

The tiger growled and, even as the winged demon pulled back, it leapt at the darkness class fusion. Both tumbled to the ground, falling into the half-made grave. I ran to the edge of it to see what was going on. I hastily pulled back when claws dug into the earth besides my feet. The monster began to lift itself out of the grave, unable to fly out because of the narrow space, only to screech in pain as Yuri rose and sank his claws into one of the demon's folded wings. The skull head turned towards the tiger, its mouth opening to breathe out black fumes. The tiger quickly backed away from the gas, though it was unable to escape in the small space of the grave. I was close enough that the poison made me feel weak for a moment before I healed myself. In the grave Yuri screamed, drawing strength from the earth surrounding him to restore his own energy. I managed to pry my hands from my ears after he was done. The leather-clothed skeleton had not cared for the noise at all and brought its claws to slash against the tiger's chest, reopening the first wound he had created.

Neither of them tried to climb out of the grave, knowing from the first attempt that it would leave them open to the attack of their other half. Instead they fought each other viciously in the pit. Yuri was aware of how vulnerable he was to the black demon's vile breath and for that reason persisted in his attacks, not giving the demon of death time to use its magic. He didn't even stop to heal himself when he was injured, and soon the dirt in the grave was splattered with blood from both fusion monsters. But it seemed as though Yuri was winning the fight, his tiger form being more suited to fighting in the cramped space than the demon, whose one wing hung uselessly, torn into ribbons.

The end came so quickly I didn't realize it until the tiger's lethal claws were sheathed in the chest of the demon. With a weak screech, it changed back into Yuri's other half. The mask slipped off of his face, revealing Yuri's eyes, and at the sight Yuri released his own fusion and stared at himself. When the mask hit the dirt it broke, and so did Yuri's other half, into many beams of light that slowly disappeared.

Yuri remained still until I kneeled at the edge of the grave. "Yuri?"

He looked at me and smiled, though there seemed something hesitant about the action. He attempted to climb out of the grave on his own, but he was badly injured and I had to help him climb out of the pit. Once he was out of it, the grave vanished and the moon was replaced by a sun low in the sky, creating a gorgeous sunset.

For a moment there was silence as we both looked around our new surroundings; though the hill and tree itself had not changed a bit, the sunset's light made an astounding contrast to the pale light of the moon. Then I heard Yuri sigh.

"Okay, I'll bite. What the hell are you doing here, Alice?"

Blood rushed to my face, probably turning it red enough to match the sunset. That was probably about the last thing I had expected him to say, especially since I had helped him. At the same time, it was a valid question, and one I didn't exactly know the answer to. "Well...I'm not really sure how I got in yo--in here," I said hesitantly. "I was trying to heal you, but--oh no."

"What? What's wrong?" he asked. Didn't he know the state of his own body?

"I was trying to heal you because you were bleeding, but it wasn't working! It was so bad, and I think--I think--if no one else healed you--"

_You're going to die._

I burst awake, startling both Zhuzhen and Keith. After I had passed out one of them had pulled me away from Yuri, and just as I had feared, neither of them had given any attention to his wounds. Though I could see his chest rising and falling, he was only taking shallow breaths. I scrambled to his side, but then realized I could not heal him: my head was pounding fiercely, and if I tried another cure spell I might faint again. Instead I looked around for the bag of healing items, spotting it at Zhuzhen's side.

"He needs a Thera seed--"

"Alice, he's gone. He lost his soul--"

"Zhuzhen!" My voice was shrieking; I knew Zhuzhen didn't understand what had just taken place, but there was no time to explain it. "Give me the seed!" I ordered and thrust out my hand.

He hesitated only a second before reaching into the bag and drawing out the needed item, placing it in my outstretched hand. I turned back to Yuri and propped his head up, pushing the small seed past his open lips. It only took a little coaxing to make him swallow it. I turned to Zhuzhen and Keith.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Not very long," Zhuzhen answered. "Only a few minutes." Then he squinted, looking not at me, but past me, to Yuri. "He's..."

I looked down at him and saw the wound in his chest closing. Though his face was still unnaturally pale, his breathing became deeper and more regular.

"Yes," I breathed. "Thank you, Lord."

Yuri's dark brown eyes slid open, trying to focus on me but failing. "Alice?" he mumbled.

"You're going to be fine," I reassured him. "You're going to live."

Zhuzhen knelt beside me and I glanced at him, uncertain what he was planning on doing. He cast Nourishing Potion on Yuri and the fighter coughed as the spell took effect. No doubt he felt the flames licking at his throat.

"Dammit, Zhuzhen," he said with a weak grin. A bit of the color was returning to his cheeks. "I told you I hate that stuff."

The Adept snorted. "Sasha's back, all right."

"Was I ever gone?"

"Well, after six months I was pretty sure you were dead."

Yuri's eyes widened and he tried to sit up. The first attempt failed, so then he propped himself up on his elbows. "Wait, you're saying it's been six months since the invocation?"

I nodded. "My, you have been out of it," Keith commented overhead.

The brunet still seemed dazed when Zhuzhen said, "You said you'd return to Roger Bacon quickly, and it's been six months. He's probably given you up for dead. So, what are you going to do?"

"I..." Yuri shook his head. "Christ, six months? Have I been here this whole time?"

"No, only this past month," Keith answered, and then looked at Zhuzhen. "Master Zhuzhen, perhaps we should give him some time to think about all this. It must be a lot to take in; I know it was when I realized I had been sleeping for two centuries."

Yuri peered up at the blond. "Two--wait, you're a vampire?"

Keith laughed. "An astute observation."

"Well, if Sasha's going to think about this, it would probably be safer for him to do his thinking downstairs. I know we haven't gotten rid of all the ghosts in this tower," Zhuzhen said, rising.

"Can you stand?" I asked. I offered Yuri my hand but he climbed to his feet on his own, though wavering. He took a step and his knees promptly buckled. I caught him, wincing as the harness he wore dug into my skin. He felt so light. He must have lost a lot of weight in the past months.

"This may be a problem," Keith mused. "Master Zhuzhen, Alice, I can easily carry him, but it will mean you'll have to deal with any monsters or spirits we encounter."

"That's no trouble," the Adept answered.

"Wait a second," Yuri argued, "I can--"

"Yuri, just let Keith carry you," I told him. The fighter looked at me, his eyes questioning, but he made only the mildest protest as Keith picked him up.

It was quiet as we walked down the tower staircase. Mostly because Zhuzhen and I had to keep an eye out, and Yuri was supposed to be thinking about what he was going to do, but I was surprised that even Keith was subdued. We had just encountered another ghost of a knight, and instead of Keith breaking the silence to tell us about the wretched soul, Yuri gave a loud swear.

"What is it?" Zhuzhen asked.

Yuri was rubbing his neck, looking quite aggrieved. "I don't have my talisman. What happened to it?"

"Ben's talisman?" Zhuzhen looked at me, but I shook my head. I knew what it looked like, but I hadn't seen it since I'd last seen Yuri. "It must have fallen off somewhere."

"Shit. I can't tell how much malice I have without it."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," I pointed out, "seeing as you defeated that man..."

"Fox Face."

I nodded. Fox Face seemed a reasonable name for the other half of Yuri that had hid behind a fox mask. "So you don't need to worry about that."

"Who is Fox Face?" Zhuzhen asked, curious.

"My imagination gone fucking crazy," Yuri answered flippantly. It seemed like he didn't want to tell Zhuzhen the details about Fox Face, so I remained silent, even though Zhuzhen's frequent glances at Yuri showed he was still puzzled.

Finally we were at the bottom of the stairs, and I turned towards Keith and the injured man he was carrying. "Yuri, may I--oh," I gasped, seeing that he was sleeping. It was no wonder; he had to be completely exhausted after everything he'd gone through.

"I'll put him in a room to rest," Keith said and walked away. Zhuzhen and I were left to look at each other.

"Ah," I murmured, but could think of nothing to say, and I ended up twining my hands behind my back. Seeing my behavior, Zhuzhen gave a soft chuckle.

"So, how did you heal him?"

I pursed my lips before answering, "I'm not entirely sure...somehow, I went in his soul...he was killing himself in there, that's why my magic wouldn't work on him." I wondered if I should tell him about the curse, but really, I needed to talk with Yuri first to find out more about it.

"And you stopped him?"

"No. That's...not exactly right. He stopped himself. I just helped him." I looked up at the Adept. "What do you think Yuri's going to do now?"

He shrugged, taking a seat on the cold stone floor. "Who knows?"

"You said Roger Bacon probably thinks he's dead."

"Well, yes. He hasn't found him after six months, and that's assuming he even looked in the first place. Bacon probably gave Sasha up for dead the moment he fused with Dehuai's god. He's very lucky to have survived."

"So, he's safe from Roger Bacon," I said, starting to see why Zhuzhen had told Sasha that. "He can live a normal life."

"If he wants to." With a weary sigh, Zhuzhen leaned back against the wall. "But who knows what he wants."

There was silence until Keith returned, now dressed in a new, or at least undamaged, suit and with his hair unbound. He gave me back my ribbon with a word of thanks. "He is resting well," the vampire announced.

"That's good," I responded, still troubled. What did Yuri want?

"Perhaps we should also get some sleep," Zhuzhen suggested. "But first...are you hungry, Alice?"

When I nodded, Keith said with a smile, "As thanks for your help with the 'demon', why don't I prepare a meal for the two of you?"

"Er..." I glanced at Zhuzhen, and it was obvious he had the same apprehension I did: Keith's idea of food would be either blood, or food that had stopped being fresh ages ago.

"I have been awake for a month." Keith's smile was growing larger. "That would be sufficient time to obtain fresh food, would it not?"

"It wasn't that...it was just...ah...thank you Keith," I said, my face red with embarrassment. With a laugh, he turned and led us to the dining room.

True to his word, the food he provided us with was fresh and wholesome, a pleasant surprise for us. It turned out the vampire had another surprise for us: during the meal he expressed an interest in traveling with us. Zhuzhen and I exchanged a glance over the food. We both knew that Keith's help would be great, but at the same time we couldn't possibly let him get involved in something so dangerous. Zhuzhen even warned him of the risks, but he replied that was the very reason he was interested, because life in the castle had become too tedious. We were still somewhat reluctant, but it was his own decision and so we said that he could join us.

Once I had finished eating, I asked Keith where Yuri was resting, so that I could take some food to him. The blond rose from the table and took me to a large bedroom. Though it was furnished with a bed and a table, there was a large square on the floor lined with dust and the entire room reeked of curry.

Yuri stirred as we entered. His harness as well as the rag of his shirt had been removed and placed on the table, while he had been covered with a blanket. I frowned, realizing that with his pants also torn he hardly had any clothes to make himself decent.

"Keith, if it's not too much trouble, do you have any clothes he could borrow?"

"Forget the clothes," Yuri mumbled sleepily. "Food! I'm starved."

Keith laughed and told me he would get some clothing for Yuri before leaving. I placed the food on the table, pushing the discarded clothing aside to make room.

"Are you feeling better now?" I asked.

"Little bit," he answered before tearing into the bread I'd brought. For a minute or so he simply attacked the food as I waited by his side. His eyes kept darting to me though and finally he asked with a mouth full of food, "What is it?"

"Do you know what you're going to do?"

He swallowed the food down. "Not really. I'm still trying to figure out just what's been happening."

"Oh." I nodded. "I guess it would be hard, coming back to the world after six months."

"Not so much that, though it did throw me for a loop," he admitted. "I still can't figure out..."

When he fell silent, I prompted him, "Can't figure out what?"

He looked at me with his dark eyes and asked, "Why did you save me? You know I'm working for Roger Bacon. And I told you in Shanghai that I plan to keep working with him."

Zhuzhen had told me as much when we had argued over Yuri's fate. Hearing Yuri himself say it made me look down. Was it really that foolish that I'd wanted to save him?

"But you haven't decided yet what you're going to do now, have you?"

"No," he answered after a moment's pause.

"I was hoping that, instead... maybe you would come with us."

Though I was staring at the bed sheets, I could not miss Yuri's head snapping towards me, and I knew he must have been staring at me with incredulity.

"You actually want me with you guys? After what I...are you nuts?" he exclaimed. "Wait a second..."

"What is it?" I asked. I was already red from his accusation of me being 'nuts', and the frown on his face told me that he certainly did not link any benevolent motivations with my actions.

"That crazy spy put you up to this, didn't she? Sure wasn't Zhuzhen's idea, he'd probably want me to rot with what happened in Shanghai." And at this Yuri's scowl grew fiercer. "Where is she, anyways?"

"She has no idea you're alive,soshe most certainly did not put me up to anything." I could not keep some irritation out of my voice; it irked me that he was assuming I didn't save him of my own volition. "Why would she?"

"Because she'd probably want to pry out any info I had, then shoot me," Yuri responded. "Though I guess Zhuzhen would be happy to do the same, then roast me. So it was his idea?"

"Yuri, shut up for a minute," I blurted, frustration getting the better of me. "I wanted to save you, and I want you to come with us. Margarete did not put me up to this, and Zhuzhen thought your soul was gone so you were past saving. It was my choice to save you."

This time, he was the one to look away first, and he raised an eyebrow. Puzzled, I looked in the same direction as him and observed on the wall a sepia portrait of an Indian man with a protruding gut. On either side of him there was a man with a plate of curry balanced on his head.

"Um. That...that's rather odd," I murmured, wondering who the last occupant of this room had been.

"Yeah."

After a moment or so I realized Yuri was perfectly content to stare at the picture rather than talk to me, and I sighed. "Listen. If you think I'm trying to manipulate you, Yuri, I'm not."

"Then why do you keep calling me that?"

I blinked a few times, trying to figure out what he meant. "Yuri? It's your name."

"My name is Sasha," he said pointedly.

The name Roger Bacon had chosen for him...for a second my breath was caught in my throat. Was this his way of telling me that he chose to follow Roger Bacon once more? Or maybe he was just uncomfortable being called by a name he hadn't heard in fifteen years.

Either way, it hurt a bit, knowing he didn't want me to call him by his real name. My hand reached up to Anne's cross as I asked, "Does it really make you uncomfortable?"

Though he had screamed at me for wearing Anne's cross in the castle tower, this time when he saw the cross it seemed to be for the first time. "You're still wearing it?"

"Do you want it back?" My hands were already moving up to the clasp, but Yuri caught my arm.

"No, it's fine. I was just surprised you still had it."

I felt relieved that I could continue to hold the memories within the cross, but at the same time I wondered what Yuri's refusal meant. Did he not want any reminders of his mother, or...? I tilted my head, looking at him curiously. Zhuzhen had said 'but who knows what he wants', and now I had to wonder. Did Yuri even know what he wanted? "I don't understand," I said finally. "You rescued me from Roger Bacon, you've saved my life more than once...you gave me your mother's cross, even though it's precious to you. But you haven't taken anything from me for those things. Why can you do that, and I can't?"

"That's not the same," Yuri retorted. "Koudelka was manipulating me when I rescued you."

"And when you saved my life?"

"You were helping me get revenge on Dehuai."

My smile was a bit dampened by how pat his answers were. Did he really believe those were the sole reasons behind his actions? "And when you gave me this cross?"

That could not be explained by manipulation or a desire for revenge, and Yuri knew it as well as I did. His eyes lowered to the blankets covering him as he said lamely, "It isn't important to me."

"That's a lie," I said simply.

"Dammit, Alice, it's different!" The color was rising in his cheeks, but he still would not look at me. It seemed rather than convincing him that I had saved him for good reason, I was just making him more upset. Maybe I should try a different approach.

"Why would you want to help Roger Bacon, Yu--Sasha?" After all, even though I'd have liked for him to travel with us, anything was better than the thought of having to fight against him.

"Because we have the same goal."

I nodded. "Yes, you said that in China," I said, recalling the day we had first arrived in Shanghai. "You said it was something that would make people happy. But if you're concerned about others' happiness, why would you also make them suffer, as Roger Bacon has?"

He sank back down into the pillows on the bed with a sigh. There was silence, but his eyes gazed at me so he wasn't ignoring me. Instead he was trying to form his response. "You...you wouldn't understand," he said at last. "You've been sheltered from it." I would've protested, but at that moment he closed his eyes and I wondered if it was his way of saying the conversation was over. "This world is too harsh."

"And what Roger Bacon is doing would somehow make that better?" I demanded. "I doubt that. How is the pain of those he's hurt going to make everyone happy?"

Yuri's eyes remained closed, but his lips twitched up in a smile. "But that's how it always is. For one person to gain, another person has to lose. And for everyone to gain..."

"That isn't true at all...what about Li Li?" I asked. "We helped her find peace and it didn't take anything from us."

"Dehuai's loss," Yuri murmured.

I sighed. If he was going to define it that way, there were no examples I could think of. But Dehuai had deserved the losses he had suffered. There was a difference between that and the anguish Bacon's victims had gone through. "How do you figure that Bacon can bring everyone happiness then? How is he going to change this world, if it's too harsh?"

Yuri pursed his lips, but said nothing, and my heart sank. He was afraid of giving me any information that might harm Roger Bacon because he was still siding with the warlock. "Yuri," I said desperately, grasping his hand. The action caused him to open his eyes once more. "Don't be too rash. Because if Roger Bacon fails...if he can't bring people happiness...you'll have the guilt of all the lives you helped him ruin. Just, please...think about it."

And for a second, guilt fleeted through his eyes. I thought I'd touched a nerve. Yuri smiled wanly and held my hand in his. "How about this then?" he said. "I promise I'll think about it more tonight. I'll tell you my answer in the morning."

Joy seized me. He was hesitating now, and I knew that surely if he thought about it, thought about the consequences Bacon's actions would bring, he would change his mind. We wouldn't have to fight him. Maybe...maybe he would even be helping us. "You promise?"

He lifted himself up with one arm, and with the other he tapped Anne's cross, resting on my chest. "I swear it. On my mother's cross," he said, more quietly. He still seemed guilty, which concerned me a bit. I hadn't meant to prick his conscience over those things which had already come and gone, but the things that he could change from now on.

I smiled. "But don't wear yourself out thinking, all right? You do need your rest. I'll let you eat now."

"Good night," he said.

"Good night."

I exited the room only to see Zhuzhen standing just outside the door so that Yuri could not see him. "So," he said in a low voice after I closed the door, "what's he going to do?"

"He hasn't decided yet. He said he'd make up his mind by the morning."

"Ah." Zhuzhen nodded. "I think I'd better watch him."

I bit my lip before shaking my head. "No. If he's thinking of coming with us...he won't do that if he thinks we don't trust him." The Adept still looked skeptical, so I went on, "Besides, he's still weak. I don't think he would try anything in his condition."

"I suppose that's true, but..."

"He promised he would think it over. Just give him a little time, please."

Zhuzhen sighed, adjusting his monocle as he thought. "All right, I will. You've been right about him so far. I just hope he makes a good decision."

I watched him walk away with a smile. Then I set off to find Keith, to ask him if there was a room I could rest in for the night.

I ended up in his sister's room, filled with knickknacks from all over Europe, and even some items from Africa. By now I was so weary that I didn't bother to change, I simply laid down in my clothes and shut my eyes. It occurred to me that I hadn't asked Yuri about the curse, though I had intended to. I shoved the thought away. He already had enough to think about; he didn't need more burdening his mind. It could wait until morning; after all, the masks had said 'some day', it wasn't like--

My breath stopped. Who was laughing?

My eyes tore open as I sat up. My hands rested on cobbled stones. Hovering over me, with their faces literally split into large grins, were the four masks.

"Are you that eager to collect the debt?" My voice shook. I wish it hadn't, but I was frightened by how suddenly they had appeared.

"Not yet, girl, not quite yet," the yellow sword mask told me in between his pesky tsks.

"Then what do you want?" I asked warily.

The dark green chimera roared with laughter. "Turn around, little girl! See for yourself!"

My insides clenched as I turned around, preparing myself to behold some horrible monstrosity. But no, it was only Yuri. He stood at the gate I had entered in before, facing its absolute darkness. Before I could call to him, he pushed it open and stepped through.

Another mask, either staff or grail, chuckled behind me. "Running away isn't a bad thing," it reminded me. "After all, each person cares about themselves the most."

Did they mean Yuri was--? I ran to the gates he had just left by and found myself standing in the bedroom he'd been sleeping in. The blankets had been flung to one side of the bed and Yuri was walking out of the door. It started to swing shut and I raised my arm to hold it open. I was so startled when my hand actually went through the door that I stumbled and fell through the wood, ending up on the floor of the hallway outside.

Immediately I got up and followed Yuri, who was edging each door slightly open, though some small portion of my mind was taking note that this was a dream then, not reality. The realization did nothing to diminish my concern as I followed him into another room and saw Zhuzhen sleeping.

"Yuri, what are you doing?" I asked him, hoping he'd respond. Instead he looked around the room, his eyes wide in the dim light. Without a sound he reached down and lifted up the pack lying by the bed, the bag with our healing items and food--and our money. This he hefted onto his shoulder before turning around and walking through me.

_He is...no, this is just a dream, a nightmare from those masks,_ I told myself. _Wake up, and look in his room; he'll still be there. He promised._

What did a promise mean to a thief, a criminal?

_If I wake up, he'll be there. Wake up, wake up,_ but I didn't. All I could do was follow Yuri through the hallways.

_Ah, the incomprehensible behavior humans call 'love'. But for this soul? He will never return any of your feelings..._

I recognized the mask's voice this time and shook my head. "Would you stop assuming what my feelings are? Let me wake up now!"

The mask chuckled quietly. _What assumption is there? You show by your actions you care about him...and he shows by his own that he cares for nothing. He will make a promise by his dead mother's cross, even in the same moment planning to break it. Why else would he have been guilty?_

I stared at the figure walking ahead of me, stepping quickly and lightly without making a sound. I thought he'd felt guilty because of what I'd said, not because he was planning to sneak out. "Yuri," I called. "Yuri, stop!" _Just wake up!_

More laughter erupted. Never sparing me a glance, Yuri made his way out of the castle. When the howl of wolves filled the air, Yuri dropped the bag to the ground and fused into a large bird, his arms become huge wings. As he hovered in the air, he reached down with his talons to pick up the sack. Then he beat his wings powerfully, making the bare branches of the trees rustle as he rose into the air.

"Wake up..." I whispered.

_How amusing. You can catch glimpses into the souls of other humans, yet you remain this naive? What a beautiful, innocent fool you are._

I whirled around and caught only a glimpse of alabaster skin and blood before screaming, screaming, screaming, and then waking up. My clothes clung to me, damp with sweat. The sheets were on the floor and I was on the edge of the bed, unusual considering I rarely moved in my sleep. It seemed as though I had been struggling, but I remembered being frightened for only a brief instant. I wasn't even sure what had scared me. Was it the sight of blood? I thought I'd gotten used to it.

"Yuri," I remembered suddenly, and fell onto the floor. I wasted no time but ran out of my room and towards his. The sunrise was visible through the windows. When had I been dreaming, and for how long?

The door was already ajar, and a slight push swung it open far enough to reveal Zhuzhen sitting on the bed. Zhuzhen, but no Yuri. A lump rose in my throat. "Where is he, Zhuzhen?"

The Adept shook his head. "We've just helped Roger Bacon." He buried his face into his hands. "He's gone," he said, his voice muffled, "and so are our supplies."

In that moment, all I could hear was raucous laughter.

* * *

Zhuzhen and I were forced to borrow money from Keith. He easily shrugged it off as payment for our services, but he had been absolutely truthful before when he'd said there was no treasure in Blue Castle. 

"I guess this means our exorcist business in Prague will have to continue for a while," I mentioned as the three of us walked through the forest again.

Zhuzhen remained silent. He hadn't said a word to blame me for Sasha's appearance, but I knew must be thinking it. I had persuaded him not to keep watch, after all, and if he had we would at least still have our supplies. Sasha had been too weak to overpower anyone, especially Zhuzhen with his fire magic.

At the edge of the forest, Keith stopped and turned to look at Blue Castle. "Farewell, dear castle. Farewell, my ancestors." It seemed he would say more, but instead he regarded it carefully. I looked and saw the stone walls, still a deep, dark red.

"I thought it would be gone if Sasha's malice was gone," I said quietly.

The vampire pursed his lips thoughtfully. "The demon is gone, and yet it would seem the malice remains. Perhaps, then, it is another's."

Uncomfortable at the notion, my hand touched the cross around my neck out of habit. But this time it was my father's cross, not Anne's. I had cast that off while changing clothes and the silver cross now lay besides a set of nesting dolls.

* * *

**Author's Note:** First off, I'd like to say I'm sorry that I take so long to update. I really thought I'd be done at least last week, but then I was put off by another whole week and…yeah. Didn't go well. 

Originally this chapter was going to have a different title. Then I changed it to Covenant because of both the promise Yuri made and the Covenant references in this chapter. There are also FtNW references: Hilda's room, not to mention the explanation I gave for Blue Castle's color is based off an idea I got from playing FtNW. It's not canon, just my imagination running around. I'm also debating adding one more chapter than was originally planned.

Finally, Yuri/Alice lovers: uh…please don't kill me for this chapter? ...I'm just gonna hide now.


	10. Prague: Interlude

When we returned to Prague, Keith was fascinated by all the people and carriages. Zhuzhen walked alongside him, the vampire slowing his stride in consideration of the Adept's pace, and pointed out what various things were. Keith's two-hundred-year slumber had kept him ignorant of all the technological advancement that had occurred, and now his curiosity was piqued.

Their words were lost to me, though I was walking behind them so close I could have plucked either of their shirts. Margarete should already be waiting for us at the bar, and she'd want to know everything that had happened concerning Sasha. She had a right to know, but just thinking about it hurt. Not to mention that she would also know what a fool I had been.

I nearly bumped into Keith when we stopped in front of Gismot's bar. The blond brushed his long hair to the side, looked up at the depiction of the beer mug, and then followed Zhuzhen inside.

The instant he saw us, Gismot walked over. "Hello! Looks like your company has grown!" he greeted us, casting a glance at Keith. "Listen, I have a message for you from Margarete."

"A message?" I repeated, confused. "Isn't Margarete here?"

He shook his head. "I thought she'd wait here until you two got back, but she rushed off in a hurry. She said she wanted you to meet her in Rouen, north of Paris."

I had thought for a second that perhaps Margarete's absence was a reprieve from reliving that night, but now different, more horrible memories were being conjured. "Rouen?" I questioned. Silently I pleaded that I had misheard.

"What is the matter, Alice?" Keith asked. "You look upset."

"Rouen is where my father died," I answered.

"It must be urgent," Zhuzhen said. "For her to suddenly go off like this…she must have a lead on Roger Bacon."

"Oh?" exclaimed Keith. "The warlock you have been looking for?"

I nodded. "He's somewhere in Europe, we believe. We've been looking for him, but to no avail." _I was looking for Yuri too…but I suppose I didn't really find what I wanted._

"And for all we know, he's got something worse than Dehuai's schemes planned," Zhuzhen muttered. "We've got to find him."

Yuria was walking towards us, but I didn't notice what she was doing until she slung one arm over my shoulders, giggling. "Hey, why so glum? You're back safe. Let's celebrate!"

My nose wrinkled at the alcohol on her breath, and the slur in her words was obvious to everyone. "You're drunk," I told her. She laughed as if I'd made a joke.

"Me, drunk? No way." Then she hiccupped and withdrew her arm. "Just need to use the toilet. I want you smiling when I'm back!" she threatened with another giggle before going to the bathroom.

Zhuzhen shook his head, apparently astonished by her behavior. "Good grief…"

"Hmm…Roger Bacon…?" The name seemed to puzzle Keith, but then he shook his head. "Do I understand correctly that another member of your party is waiting for you in France?"

"Yes," I responded, wondering why he had asked. Didn't he know of Rouen or Paris? Things couldn't change that drastically in two centuries, could they?

Zhuzhen was already seated on a barstool, looking over the map and figuring out where exactly Rouen was. Sitting myself by him, I pointed it out to him and then said, "If we can catch a carriage along the way, I think it'll take less than a month to get there, but…" I trailed off, remembering that we had little money for traveling. A carriage was out of the question.

Zhuzhen bit his lip and then turned to Gismot. "Say, did anyone come here asking for us while we were gone?" Catching my eye, he added, "It would be better to wait and do one or two jobs if it can cut down our travel time."

I nodded in agreement and looked to Gismot, who was rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, there was someone complaining of a ghost…thing is, it sounds like another person just jumping at shadows…"

"They still pay a bit," Zhuzhen said, "even if it is a waste of time. We need to make some more money right now."

"I thought the business was doing well though."

The adept said nothing, though I caught his glance at me. Turning a bit red, I rose from the stool and scanned the room. Keith had started a conversation with old Rosa, but I had no idea what they could be talking about. "I'd better check on Yuria, she's been in the bathroom for a while now," I blurted, noticing that she was still absent.

With how long she had been in there, it was likely she was sick. Though it wasn't really an emergency, I knew from a memorable night with Margarete that my Wish spell, meant for clearing out poisons and curses, could also help ease the effects of overdrinking.

"Yuria?" I called as I stepped inside the bathroom. When absolute silence answered me, I frowned. Had she fainted? She drank a bit much on occasion, but this was ridiculous.

Calling her name again, I poked my head into the first stall. Immediately I raised my hand to cover my nose. Someone, most likely Yuria, had vomited in the toilet. After flushing it, I looked in the second stall, but that was also empty. "Where did she go?" I muttered to myself. "I know she didn't leave."

The mirror over the sink caught my eye. It must have been because of my appearance; my cheeks were still a touch pink, a blush of shame.

"I'll never make that mistake again though. After all, Sasha's gone away to—who knows where."

_To Roger Bacon, nitwit._

But something else bothered me about my reflection. After looking closer, I realized it was my eyes; they seemed different for some reason. Harsh. I felt a little unhappy, but my expression seemed to suggest great upset. I smiled at the mirror, trying to make myself relax, but my eyes stayed frigid.

"Hmph." I turned away from the mirror. "Yuria?" On the off-chance she was curled up in a corner, I checked both stalls again and the corner where Gismot kept cleaning supplies. But I found no one. I hadn't really expected that I had missed her in my first search; after all, the bathroom simply wasn't that big. But she couldn't have left the bar; we would have heard the door shutting. My eyes traveled around the bathroom. "Yuria, where are—" and then I gasped.

My eyes had landed on the mirror—and my reflection was _laughing _at me. Though I couldn't take a single breath due to my surprise, she had her hands cupped over her mouth and appeared to be in the midst of gales of laughter.

Finally, breath, as well as speech, came back to me. "Wh-what the…?" The reflection looked at me and changed suddenly, to the woman who had watched as Terry and Darcy died. She smiled nastily at me. Her eyes were cold and harsh, just as mine had been—she had been disguised as my reflection.

"Who--?" I shouted, but in that instant my own reflection replaced hers. This time the eyes were mine, but full of fear. That woman had to be nearby to have cast a spell on the mirror. I moved towards the door, wanting both Zhuzhen and Keith's assistance, but then stopped. Yuria was still in here and defenseless against such a witch, if she had actually been responsible for Terry's death. I couldn't leave her alone, not even for a second. After all, it hadn't taken long for those two men to die…

"I know you're in here!" I shouted, hoping I sounded braver than I felt. My hands, clenched into fists, were shaking. "Come out!" I threw open the first stall's door with a bang, as if to startle her out of hiding. "Your tricks won't work on me!" They already **had**; but I prayed that if I focused hard enough, my skill as a Demon Eyes would let me see through the deception.

When I stepped into the second stall, my vision blurred slightly and I blinked my eyes, confused. Why wouldn't they focus right? And why did my back suddenly ache? I trudged out of the stall, unnerved by the onset of pain. Had she cast a spell on me without my knowing?

She was back in the mirror, mimicking my movements, though this time she did not pretend to be my reflection. I scowled and she scowled back, looking quite troubled. Wait a second…those were my eyes looking back at me, not hers!

I reached up to my face, surprised, and felt the creases of wrinkles in aged skin. Then I looked down at my hands, seeing spidery veins bulging beneath loose skin.

"This—this isn't me," I gasped.

The reflection cackled and there was a flash of light. When I reopened my eyes, my own body stood beside me, blue eyes gleaming with malice. The mirror showed the truth, that it was the old witch standing besides me. It was reality that had become a lie.

"You're the one who killed Terry," I said. Before I had thought Kevin had summoned those monsters, but this witch was more than powerful enough to have done the deed herself.

Her reflection chuckled in the mirror, and my body raised a hand to her mouth for to stifle the sound. "That's right. That was the mayor's request. What a beautiful young woman you are," she said, admiring my reflection. "Makes me feel good just assuming your form." She turned to me, my own blue eyes glinting with her malice. "If your body was to become mine…"

I grit my teeth. "You can't have it."

"Oh?" She laughed, a light airy giggle that grated my nerves. Did I really laugh like that? "Bacon doesn't need your body, he needs your powers. Besides, it makes it all the more easier to capture you. I'm sure he wouldn't object."

"But I do," I shouted, opening my tome to cast Blessed Light. There was no way I would let her steal my body…and no way that I would let her capture me. But just as I was about to cast the spell, I realized that I couldn't attack her. She was in my body, if I hurt her I'd be hurting myself! My tongue fumbled the words and the witch simply smirked.

She pulled out a wand and then pointed it at me, murmuring words that I couldn't make out. I felt drained, placing one hand to my forehead. "Make this easy for both of us, girl. You can't beat me, so come quietly."

She made to grab my hand, but in that instant my mind was made up. Father had given his life so that Roger Bacon wouldn't capture me. So I couldn't let him, no matter what the cost. My book snapped shut and I slammed it into my—her face, the spine connecting with her nose.

The witch swore and I screamed, "Keith, Zhuzhen, help!"

"Alice?" I could hear Keith shout.

But the woman was not about to let them interfere. Raising her wand again, she pointed this time not at me, but past me to the door. The ground around it frosted over with a sheet of ice, which then sprang up, encasing the door.

"You _bitch_," she spat, my voice sounding strange as blood gushed out from her nose. Energy crackled around her. Even as I tried to move, lightning shot out at me. I fell to the floor with a cry, my limbs twitching uncontrollably as pain engulfed me.

When the ground shook, I looked up to see the pieces of the earth beneath the floor breaking off and rising. Chunks of rock hovered over me and dropped. I threw my book to my right, near the cleaning supplies, and then rolled in the same direction. Some rock nicked my back and ripped my stockings, but otherwise I was unhurt. I picked up my book and shouted, "**Blessed Light**!"

Despite the body switch, I was still Light-classed and she Dark-classed, and the spell proved wonderfully effective. It harmed my body, but that couldn't be helped…I would not be captured, not now, not after so many sacrifices had been made to assure my freedom. Unfortunately, my head was already starting to pound, although I had only cast a single spell. I had left our healing supplies with Zhuzhen—who went into the bathroom looking for a fight?—_a girl being hounded by a warlock, at least if she were being careful_, I thought viciously. If one of her spells should hit me, I would need all my strength for healing.

She was already raising her wand for another spell and I bit my lip. Pressed between the wall and the first stall, there was no way I could evade any spell she might try. I could hit her but that would be even more excruciating if she completed the spell before I hit her. My eyes darted around and I picked up a bucket and threw it at her.

I knew from the sloshing sound and the heft as I picked it up that the bucket contained water. I didn't realize it was dirty water until it was splashing into my face, my clothes, my hair, and the witch was spluttering with fury. Before she could begin another incantation I lunged at her. I swung the book twice before she struck me across the face with her wand. It tore the skin on my cheek open and forced me to take a step back.

She took advantage of the moment to cast a spell. Again jagged rocks rose in the air, their tips pointed at me. I tried to run out of their path, but one tore through the back of my jacket, cutting across my back; the next one pierced my side, hitting just below my ribcage.

The force of the blow caused me to stagger. It was no scrape. I could already feel blood seeping into my clothes.

"You'd better heal that girl," the witch said, smirking. I grit my teeth. She was right, and that was why she was so smug. If I left it unhealed, I would faint from blood loss; if I did heal it, she would snatch me up while I was occupied with casting the spell. Either way, she had won. I glanced at the door. The ice looked slippery with rivulets of water dripping down, but it would still take a few more moments for it to be melted entirely. Zhuzhen and Keith would be too late. All they would find was Yuria—assuming nothing had been done to her. Roger Bacon would have me to use for his dark purposes.

_I'd rather be dead._ I wrapped my right hand around the rock that had pierced my flesh while, in my left hand, I gathered my energy for a powerful healing spell. The witch was already stepping towards me, the shoes I'd worn making sharp clicks on the floor and splashing in some water.

I pulled out the rock, hissing in pain as the blood gushed out. I nearly clamped my hand over the wound, but when I felt her hand on my arm, my hand shot up to meet her face. "**Blessed Light**!"

She screamed. The rock was thrust into her chest with all my weight behind it. We both fell to the floor, and all thought fled as we wrestled and fought. My hand rose and stabbed over and over again. She had my body, but it was trivial; my soul and life were forfeit to the Masks. The only thing that mattered now was that Roger Bacon, this woman, Sasha could not win over me.

A loud thud stopped my hand as it rose again and with some surprise I realized that the witch had regained her form, though pale and trembling. In that moment she disappeared from beneath my body, and the floor rose up to smack me.

There was nothing but darkness and softness and fuzzy warmness. Was I dead? The Masks weren't here. Maybe they'd been lying, maybe they couldn't have any dominion over my soul, and the thought made me smile.

"Good evening, Alice."

I sighed. "You're not the grim reaper, are you, Keith?" No, the Masks would not have allowed me to enter Sasha's soul without taking their toll; they intended to take my own soul one day.

There was a light chuckle from somewhere in the darkness. "I'm afraid not. You, mademoiselle, are yet among the living."

"Are you living, then?" The sluggish thought came that perhaps that was a rude question, though it was dismissed when I remembered that Keith rarely cared.

He 'hmm'ed softly. "Does that matter?"

"It hurts." As soon as I had made the slightest movement a stabbing pain had started, a ghost of the rock that had struck.

"I'll get Master Zhuzhen then—"

"No."

Though there was no light in the room, I could feel Keith's eyes on me. How had he known I was awake, anyways? Could vampires see in the dark? The idea that he could watch me when I couldn't see him made me tug the blanket covering my body over my face.

"It's not that bad. He already healed me, didn't he?"

"Yes, but if you are still in pain…"

"It's not that bad," I repeated.

"I'll just tell him that you are awake then. He was quite worried about you." Old floorboards gave a slight creak as he rose and left the room. I pulled down the blanket from over my face and saw that the door was ajar, letting a band of light stretch to the bed. There were others awake too.

Keith may or may not have told Zhuzhen that I was in pain. Whatever he said, the Adept was worried enough that he came to check on me.

"Zhuzhen, how long have I been asleep?"

"Last time I looked it was past three," he said. The hallway light shone off his monocle but barely touched his face; however, he had stumbled with his words, at first speaking the Chinese he was more accustomed to.

"Three in the morning? You should go to sleep, aren't we going to work tomorrow?" I asked him, remembering Gismot had said we had a few jobs on the table.

"We have to leave. That woman might be one of Bacon's lackeys…and if he knows you're here there will only be more."

"She was," I groaned, and then something even worse occurred to me. "Sasha...it must have been him."

Zhuzhen's fatigue was made evident by the lengthy pause. "Did Sasha know we were staying here?"

"I…I don't remember telling him, but I might've, or—" I clapped a hand to my forehead as a headache started. With my other hand I rubbed at my eyes to force back the tears.

The adept shook his head. "Alice, stop. What's done is done."

"I know. I'm sorry." Had Sasha told Roger Bacon we were staying here? He must have, or else how else would Roger Bacon have known where to find me?

"You made a mistake, but he's the one to blame," Zhuzhen replied. "He wasted the chance you gave him." He looked away, towards one of the shadowy corners of the room, and shook his head again. "Well, your injury seems fine enough. There's not much I can do for it besides a healing spell, and honestly—"

"No, I understand, you're tired." I forced a smile. "I'm tired as well. Thank you for healing me."

"If you're still not feeling well in the morning, tell me. We'll probably start out after breakfast." With that Zhuzhen rose from the bed and left, closing the door. Once again there was complete darkness, and the soft, warm bed beneath me, but now there was the persistent ache of my wound. Sasha had wasted the chance I'd given him…had I sacrificed my soul to the Masks for nothing?

* * *

**Author's Note:** I didn't like this chapter so much, maybe because it's just so short compared to the others, but at least it's done. 

There was an error in one of the previous chapters, where Alice knew that Margarete was in Rouen, when in fact she was supposed to find that out in this chapter. The mistake is fixed now, but if anyone was confused about that, you know why.


	11. Rouen: Devil's Masks

**Author's Note: **Much thanks go to MikoNoNyte and Mushy K, who both read this chapter before I posted and helped me fix it up.

* * *

It took us about a month of traveling to get to Rouen. Along the way we performed two exorcisms, a small miracle for us considering we weren't advertising—though considering the desperation which those people were in, I really shouldn't think of it as a miracle. With the money from the jobs we were able to get a carriage for the last of the way. Both Zhuzhen and I had been thankful for this, worn out from weeks of traveling on foot, but Keith had not seemed to mind either way.

As we entered the city, the sun cast long shadows from the buildings. We inquired around a few inns for Margarete, but she hadn't checked in to any of them. Finally we came to the inn my father and I had been staying at when he died. The church was just across the street from the inn and I glanced at the building even as Keith held the door open for me. It seemed to have become neglected; there were weeds poking up between the cobblestones and some trash strewn about in front of the doors.

"Good evening!" the innkeeper greeted us as we entered.

"Excuse me," Zhuzhen said, "But we're looking for a lady named Margarete. Is she staying here?"

"Miss Margarete? Just wait a moment," the man requested as he scanned the pages of his register. "Yes, she's staying here. Blonde, blue-eyed, right? I saw her leave a while ago. She hasn't returned yet."

"Hm, she beat us here," Zhuzhen grumbled. "Not that it was very hard."

"I suppose we'll be staying here too then, if we can afford it that is," Keith said, and I bit my lip to keep back my protest. It would be easiest to wait here for Margarete. But why, why of all the inns in Rouen did she have to choose this one?

"We haven't had a lot of customers lately, so I can make you a deal," the innkeeper offered. "You seem to have a lady with you, so I'll prepare two rooms upstairs. Use them as you wish."

"Thank you," I said.

He paused at my voice, and then looked at me more closely. "Oh, aren't you...?" He hesitated a second, but then ploughed on: "Aren't you the young girl--"

"Yes," I said sharply, but I knew what he would have asked. He shook his head sadly.

"I still remember that incident...such a tragedy...oh, that poor priest, rest his soul. But at least you're safe, child. It's a blessing of God," he told me, and I had to fight down anger at his presumptuousness. 'Safe'? Being chased by a warlock and the witch who served him, having your soul claimed by demons--I was 'safe'? He meant well though, so I chewed my lip and willed myself to be quiet. A part of me wanted to ask him why God would not extend his blessing to a pious and faithful priest who had served the Lord with all his strength.

As soon as the rooms were ready, Keith and Zhuzhen both entered their room, and I entered my own. It was always impossible to tell at what hour Margarete would come back, so it made no sense to stay up and wait for her. Knowing her she'd want to follow whatever lead she had straight away, so we would need all our energy.

I told myself that, but I could not sleep. Though I lay still, my eyes followed the flickering shadows the candle on the nightstand cast about the room. It was a comfortably-sized room, though the dark colors of the furniture made it seem more snug. It looked a lot like the room I had stayed in with my father. The pictures behind the candle were different, but for all that it mattered it might have been the same room. I knew very well though that the last time I had stayed at this inn, I had been downstairs, not upstairs.

The seconds passed, one after the other. Perhaps if I blew the candle out I'd be able to sleep, but then if I slept in this state, what would I dream...the Masks had appeared almost nightly in the last week, snipping at pleasant dreams to turn them into nightmares. Here in Rouen, they wouldn't even have to try; it was already certain that there would be no good dreams.

After a few moments of tossing in bed, I sat up and changed back into my clothes. Maybe if I saw Father Doyle I would feel better; the church's appearance had disturbed me. And afterwards I could pay my respects to Father. Maybe then I'd feel a bit more at peace.

I shrugged on the bolero and without much thought picked up the Tome of the Sun. I had carried it so much over the past month that its weight alone was familiar and comforting.

Though the innkeeper seemed to have retired for the night, there was a Chinese man sitting in one chair. He looked familiar and I frowned, wondering if I had seen him in China. He looked up at me and took no notice, however, so I passed him by without a word.

With the air cooling, the evening was rather chill and I wrapped my arms about myself. At least it was a short walk to the church. The doors would not open and so I knocked on the door. "Father Doyle? Father Doyle? It's me, Alice." When there was no response forthcoming, knocking turned into pounding. "Father Doyle?" I called, trying to keep my voice loud enough to get his attention if he was within and quiet enough not to disturb others.

"You haven't heard, have you?" I turned to the petite brunette who had approached me. "Father Doyle...they say he suffered a terrible ordeal when that murder happened a year ago. He locked up the church and hasn't let anyone in since that night."

A terrible ordeal? He'd stayed within the confessional the whole time. But maybe that was why he was troubled now...it could have been guilt which had caused him to close the church. But I wondered why he hadn't reacted when I had called out my name; after all, if it was guilt, wouldn't he feel relieved to know that at least I was fine?

"Thank you for telling me, I hadn't known," I said. The woman nodded and, with a nervous glance at the church, walked away at a swift pace.

For a moment I stood on the steps, lost in thought. I had thought maybe talking to Father Doyle would help reassure me, but apparently not; he had more weighing on his soul than I did. I hadn't shut myself away, after all, though it was a tempting idea sometimes.

I could still pay my respects to Father. Though hesitant, my feet made the path through the narrow alleyway. There was the faint glow of a streetlamp on the stones. They seemed normal enough; the reddish tint was probably just my imagination. I had been expecting to see stains of blood, but they must have washed away months ago. As I knelt, there was a slow, whining creak.

A remnant of the back door of the church swung on one hinge--it looked like the door had been shattered in a single blow. My breath caught in my throat as I realized that whoever had done the damage was no ordinary thug. _What if they did something to Father Doyle?_ I thought, and went to check on him.

As I stepped through the doorway, the hallway was dimly lit by light spilling over from the chapel. With a tight grip on my book, I was about to check the first room when a shadow fell upon me. I turned and raised the tome. The intruder looked haggard, wearing ratty clothes. His entire body leaned to one side.

"Alice, I don't know how you could be scared of me like this," he muttered.

I nearly dropped the book, but Sasha didn't seem to notice my surprise. He staggered towards me and I stiffened, wondering what he would do.

"Will you stop it? I'm not going to do anything. I'm just on my way out."

Finally my voice came back: "Oh--so you've already done something, haven't you?" He made to step past me, but I sidestepped and blocked his path again.

Sasha glared down at me. With him facing away from the light it was difficult to see his features, but he seemed exhausted. "No, I haven't, so will you get out of the way?"

"Why did you break in?" I demanded.

"I needed to see Doyle and he wasn't opening up."

I chewed my lip. Given that Sasha was working for Roger Bacon, the visit couldn't have done Father Doyle any good. "Then where is he?"

"He locked himself in the confessional. I doubt you'd want to see him, he keeps muttering and moaning."

"Why--?" But Sasha was trying to get past me again. Once more I blocked his way through the narrow hall, but this time our feet tangled up each other and he stumbled before leaning on me for support. He hissed when I pushed him away with both hands.

"Oh, please," I said, exasperated, "It wasn't that har...you're injured."

"Well shit, why'd you hit me there if you knew?" he asked, one hand rubbing his chest.

"I didn't realize--just how bad is it? Take off your shirt."

His flesh was discolored from infection. I frowned as I realized it had not been caused by any sort of poison, but by neglect. Roger Bacon wouldn't have let something like this go untreated, so Sasha must not have found him yet; the knowledge was a small relief. "Why didn't you heal this more quickly?"

"Didn't have the stuff to treat it."

"Oh?" I scowled as I remembered. "You only stole all of our things."

"Yeah, and I lost them when I got attacked out of nowhere. Are you going to heal me or not?"

"What made you think I was going to heal it?" The retort came out weak, as I knew very well I had come close to doing it.

Sasha rolled his eyes. "Because it's you."

The remark made me bite my lip. Did he really think me so predictable?

It was true though; I didn't want to leave him injured. It was clear the infection was sapping his strength. He could die if it went without treatment.

But what if he lived? He wouldn't have run away unless he had been intending to return to Roger Bacon. Healing Sasha would be helping the warlock.

Yet if he died, I would have given up my soul to the Masks for nothing...hadn't he already proven it a worthless sacrifice though? He didn't want to turn his life around. He wanted to go back to Roger Bacon and help the warlock cause more suffering. If only there was a way I could stop him--but I hadn't been able to convince him and I couldn't restrain him--

_He'd stop if he were dead._

My throat clenched as the thought sank in. The only sure way to stop Sasha would be with mortal force. I had helped kill Dehuai, and it was almost certain that unless Roger Bacon captured me, I would fight to the death with him as well, and Sasha was conspiring with the man--why shouldn't I kill him? Right now, while he was injured, it would be easier, and he hadn't helped Roger Bacon yet--

_Yes, he hasn't done anything yet. Dehuai had, Bacon has, Sasha hasn't._

_Yet._

"Hey!"

I jumped when his hand gripped my shoulder. He was staring into my face and I wondered for a second if I had indeed acted on that sinister thought.

"What in the world's wrong with you?"

"S—sorry," I murmured. My hand reached out to touch his chest, fingers trembling slightly. Something held it back; I knew I should heal him, but my insides roiled with anger and fear. Thoughts were flying like lightning—_how dare he be so presumptuous, he'll kidnap you, treacherous liar, let him die, he'll kill you!—_and my heart was clenching in a frighteningly familiar manner. My hand balled into a fist as it withdrew. "S-sasha. Did you kill any monsters?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

My chest felt tight. I gasped out a single word: "Malice." It felt the same as it had in the sewers of Fengtian.

"But Fox Face is dead!"

Without breath to answer him, I sank to my knees. There was a sudden stab of pain and my teeth clamped down on my lip, releasing a trickle of blood.

"Shit. Shit," Sasha muttered, staring at me. Then he shook his head and walked past me.

"Sa—" Tears streamed down my face, splashing onto the church floor. Bent over, clutching my chest, I could only listen as his footsteps quickened and the door slammed open, more remnants cracking and falling off. He was running away, that _coward bastard son of a—_

"All alone, little girl?" I looked up, blinking to clear away the tears. The pain had dulled to an ache, but now my stomach churned with fear. One of the masks floated above me, its mouth hanging open in a mocking cackle. "It's time to close the deal."

I swallowed, my legs shaking beneath me. "I need more time."

The blue mask rattled as its mouth snapped shut, then opened again. "That's none of our concern, girl. The only thing we care for is your soul. Now, to prepare you for Atman…"

The grail mask swooped down. With a croak its mouth opened even wider, blue mist proceeding from it. As the mist touched me, my fear rose and I started, knowing I needed to escape. My first attempt to stand caused me to stumble and fall on my back. I rolled over and climbed to my feet and ran, my heart beating wildly. Over my frenzied breathing and footsteps I heard the mask's malicious laughter.

I burst out into the alleyway. My first thought was to get Keith and Zhuzhen's help, but that flew out of my mind when ice spread out beneath my feet before rising up in massive spikes. Though I avoided the first three, I lost my footing on the slick surface and a fourth icicle sliced open my left arm. As I gasped and the mask rattled with laughter, the realization struck me that it hadn't been aiming to kill me, only terrify me. The power and control the mask had over its magic were shocking. It might even be as strong as Roger Bacon, and I knew immediately I could not fight, only flee.

"You can run to the ends of the earth, girl, but you can't leave your fear behind," came the mocking call.

I turned sharply around the next corner. My lungs were already burning and I knew that if I did not somehow lose the mask, my soul would be consumed this very night. If escape was impossible, what else was there? I wouldn't be able to harm the mask if it was the same as Fox Face…

"Sasha!" I shouted. "Sasha!" Fox Face had not reappeared after Sasha had cleared his malice. Hopefully that would eliminate the mask too. But where was he?

Another sheet of ice appeared under me, but this time I managed to avoid the rising icicles. One shot up beside my leg, its jagged edge making warm blood dribble down the cold flesh, but otherwise I was unharmed. I glanced over my shoulder. The mask was farther away now; perhaps too far for its magic to be precise. Just a little more distance between us, and I'd be able to lose it; then I'd have to find Sasha and—

I looked in front of me again as I darted into an alleyway, but as my foot came down the ground was unexpectedly slippery. The grail mask had cast yet another spell. I lurched and lost my balance—my foot slipped, and all my weight came down on my ankle as I fell. When I tried to stand, pain shot through my ankle. I had to keep moving though; the mask wasn't far behind. I staggered forward, only to stumble and cry out as a frozen spike rose from the ground. My hands flung out and gripped onto the icicle. They slipped and were sliced open on the jagged edges, but stopped my fall with the icicle's tip poking between my breasts. Streams of blood ran from my palms down the white ice. My breath was coming hard and panicked tears leaked out of my eyes.

"Ohoho, very good, little girl," the grail mask laughed. "Such a close call, too. Just a second later and—"

The ice shifted beneath me and I pushed myself away as the icicle jutted up further. Had I stayed there, it would have speared through my heart.

The worst part of it was that I was sitting on the ice, defenseless yet alive still; the mask was only playing with me. It could have killed me on the spot, but instead it wanted to torture me.

"Don't tell me you're broken already." The contempt in its voice was obvious.

I looked up at the mask, grimacing. "I can't run."

"Ohoho, what bad luck," it said, twirling in the air with glee. "Well then, little girl, it looks like your time is u—uaaaaaaaah!" The mask screamed when it was struck by lightning, despite a cloudless sky. As the grail tilted and spun crazily, a grey bird with brown wings swooped down from the sky. It was huge, the size of a man.

"Sasha!" I called, recognizing it as the fusion he'd used at the top of Kuihai tower. Then my eyes widened as he continued in his dive and stretched sharp talons out. I braced myself for the impact, gripping my tome with both hands, but I couldn't stop myself from screaming when the talons dug into my shoulders. With me in his clutches, Sasha rose into the sky.

The grail mask had recovered and was shouting something. Around us the air turned frigid and Sasha flapped his wings furiously as shards of ice shot at us. My hair whipped about my face, flying into both my eyes and my mouth as I forced myself to take deep breaths. As much as I felt like it, this was the worst time to faint. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see my impending death. I'd be stabbed or Sasha would drop me, either way I had no desire to see it. _Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Father in heaven… _I couldn't think of how to continue the prayer; my soul would certainly not go to heaven, not after being sold to the masks.

I could hear the air crackling each time an icicle formed, and though it seemed like the mask was barraging us with them, Sasha was somehow managing to avoid them. The din was thinning; cautiously I opened an eye to see no mask, no ice… My breath shook with relief. Perhaps I actually would survive this night.

Sasha descended slowly and gracefully, apparently comfortable with this fusion, but the landing was still rough as he chose to release me without warning. It was not a long drop, but falling on my back and bleeding shoulders caused me to hiss in pain. As I rolled onto my knees, he was already changing back and sat against a building, slumped over slightly.

"Are you all right?" he asked. The answer was so obvious from my bloody shoulders alone that I only gave him a look before I opened my tome, seeking the healing spell.

He sighed. "I thought if I got away from you, nothing would happen…"

I paused, my fingers resting between the book's pages and looked up at him. He was speaking quietly, his eyes half-closed, and his breathing sounded strange. After I healed myself, I stood and walked to him, wincing at the ache in my shoulders. Praying that this time no mask would appear, I pressed my palm against his chest, my fingers splayed out. I cast Wish first to heal the infection and followed it with Cure.

Sasha lifted his head and quirked a smile. "You got a new spell."

"You need to empty your malice."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. He closed his eyes and I could only hope he was delving into his Graveyard, rather than simply sleeping.

Hopefully Keith and Zhuzhen were both asleep; they would be quite worried if they knew I wasn't in my room. As soon as Sasha awoke and I knew the malice was cleared, I would go back.

_But what about Sasha?_ There I could not think of a solution, even as I paced the dimly lit alleyway back and forth. He had already broken our trust, and now that his talisman was lost, he couldn't tell how much malice he had…so even if I could somehow convince him to travel with us, it would only put everyone in danger.

So I would just let him go to Roger Bacon? Let him help our enemy? But then, what other choice did I have? I couldn't control Sasha's decisions, as poor as they were.

The gruesome idea of murder returned, but without a moment's pause I shook my head, brushing the thought away. If Sasha died with the malice still full to the brim, I had no way of knowing if it would vanish or stay full. Besides, I'd exchanged my soul for his life…for me to kill him now would make that meaningless.

_It would've been better had he died before we found him._

Soft footfalls interrupted my dark thoughts. I lifted my head to see Roger Bacon smiling at me. "Good evening, sister."

I gasped and jerked, turning to Sasha before realizing he would be no help. "What—how—?"

He raised an eyebrow at my astonishment. "How did I find you, is that what you mean? I was well aware that your search would likely bring you to Rouen. And even at night, sister, a large bird carrying a woman is _terribly_ conspicuous. Now, if you would leave…" The warlock raised one fist which glowed with power. "I have a traitor to see to."

I glanced to Sasha and murmured, "Him? You think he's…you…" A shaky laugh burst from my throat, startling me. "He's been looking for you."

"Alice, lying will not help anyone."

I was breathing quickly, the cold night air stinging my lungs. Roger Bacon had always seemed to know everything—so how could he not know something so _obvious_? Sasha was his.

The warlock gave me a cursory examination, his eyes lingering on my face. He frowned. "Even if that were true," he said, "His decisions as of late have been very foolish. He's unreliable. Now move out of the way."

Rather than obeying him, I moved between the two men. Now he couldn't cast a spell on Sasha without hitting me. If only Sasha would wake up; was he still in the Graveyard? "That's no cause for murder," I said, raising my voice. _Wake up, Sasha._

Bacon's frown turned into a scowl, an odd sight compared to his usual false smile. "You don't seem to understand your position, sister. I'm allowing you to travel freely, as part of an experiment, of sorts. But with the masks after you, considering how reckless you're being…I suppose you, too, are too unpredictable for me to let you run loose."

Recognizing the threat, I opened my book to cast Blessed Light, but a strange light flashed in the warlock's blue eyes. The Tome of the Sun was knocked out of my hands by his magic, landing far away, its vivid orange colors barely visible.

Now defenseless, I turned and shook Sasha. Though I called his name he would not wake—he was about to be killed! A hand grasped my shoulder and turned me about. Bacon raised his other hand and this time it glowed with a soft blue light. He held it over my face, and, though I tried to resist the spell, I found myself succumbing to slumber, just as I had on the train. A yawn escaped me as my eyelids sank down, heavy with exhaustion.

"Sleep well," he said, and then there was a distinct popping sound. From the corner of his open mouth, red liquid trailed down. He crumpled and pitched forward. Too numb to react, I fell when his weight pressed down on me, landing on my back. My shoulders ached at the impact.

"Get off me," I mumbled, pushing him away. The palm of my hand was now wet and lined with red. Blood. There was a hole in the side of Roger Bacon's head and I stared at it, puzzled that it had somehow gotten there without my notice.

Someone was calling my name, but I didn't pay it any mind until the voice was right in my ear. "Alice!" Margarete knelt in front of me, her blue eyes wide with concern. "Shit, girl, are you all right?"

"Oh, so you shot him," I murmured. That explained the hole. Margarete's forehead creased as she stared at me. She rummaged through her coat's pockets, bringing out a pure leaf. When she held it out to me I shook my head. "I don't need it—"

"Like hell you don't," she said before sticking it in my mouth. "What's wrong with Sasha?"

I chewed on the leaf and swallowed before answering. "Nothing. He's in his graveyard. The malice was full and one of the masks was chasing me."

"A mask was chasing you." Margarete eyed me doubtfully, then turned to Sasha. "Wake up," she said, shaking him. This time, Sasha stirred slightly, his dark eyes cracking open. When he caught sight of Roger Bacon, he shot up into a sitting position.

"Holy hell. Are you insane?" he muttered.

"He was," I said quietly. "Now he's dead."

"Not him," Sasha snapped, "Margarete, or whoever shot—your pupils are constricted."

"Bacon cast some sort of spell on her, and that's why I shot him. How is that insane?" Margarete demanded.

Sasha gave a mirthless chuckle and pointed to the corpse. "Just look."

Both Margarete and I looked, and a cry of alarm erupted from the spy's throat when we saw the wound in Roger Bacon's head shift, healing itself. "Goddamned devil!" She whipped out her pistol, firing off a shot—a bluish green light blocked it—before Sasha rose to his feet.

"Forget it! You won't kill him." He grabbed my arm and before my mind could catch up with my feet we were running. My vision blurred from the sudden jolt, turning black for a brief second. When it returned I was met with the glow of street lamps—Sasha was leading me towards a well-lit road.

He stopped underneath one of the lights, looking around. "Where's Zhuzhen?" he demanded of me. "He's still with you, right?"

"We were staying at the inn by Father Doyle's church," I answered, and then: "He won't be happy to see you."

Sasha snorted. "He cast a sleep spell on you, didn't he. It's done a number on your brain," Sasha muttered as he started leading me at a jog down the street. "I don't care. We need to talk."

"Idiot, you're going the wrong way," Margarete called.

The grip on my wrist tightened as Sasha retorted, "Then **you** lead the way."

Margarete did so, and as we followed her through the city's streets, I sifted through my muddled brain, trying to figure out what Sasha thought we needed to talk about. "You cleared your malice, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Then there's nothing to talk about."

"The masks said you gave them your soul." My mouth fell open and I struggled to make a reply, but nothing would come. He simply looked back at me, his own face hidden in shadow. "Goddamn it. You actually did."

His voice was just as scornful as the masks. Even he thought it was idiotic, even though I'd done it to save him… "I know it was stupid. Don't tell anyone."

This time when his grip tightened, I cried out in pain and pulled back. Margarete turned around, her eyes narrowing at Sasha. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Sorry," he answered, releasing my arm.

Frowning, the blonde plucked the sleeve of my bolero, pulling me to walk alongside her. After a few seconds of silence, she whispered, "What's going on with Sasha? He is on our side, right?"

I shook my head. "He's on no one's side." With a small chuckle, I recalled Bacon's words. "He's unreliable."

"Want me to shoot him?" Even with the lilt in her voice, I couldn't be sure if she meant it as a jest. If Margarete did turn around and pull her gun, would Sasha be able to get out of the way before she shot? Would he be able to shield himself? In my mind he was sprawled on the ground, blood dribbling out of him.

"Alice, I'm kidding. Don't freak out on me. Jesus Christ, what did Bacon do to you?"

"Sleep spell," I answered. "Sorry, I'm not thinking right."

"Well, that would explain it," she muttered. "You'll be better after you get some rest though, right?"

"I…I think so."

"The inn's not much farther. Just don't fall asleep on me."

"Don't let Sasha leave. I need to talk to him." Since the masks were his, after all, maybe he'd be able to tell me something useful about them.

"Is this friendly persuasion 'don't let him leave', or should I make things simple and tie him down?"

I laughed, but as it turned out, Zhuzhen was more in favor of tarring and feathering him.

Zhuzhen was pacing the lobby when we walked in. The Chinese peddler was also there, sitting in an armchair. The adept gave a sigh of relief when he saw both Margarete and me, though he looked at me with some concern—small wonder, considering that by the time we reached the inn, I was barely walking and she had to support me—and then his eyes caught Sasha.

"That's rather pretty," I murmured, looking as leaping flames surrounded the small man, making him seem much larger.

"Holy shit, that's an aura," said Margarete.

"Yo, pops!" Sasha's voice was thick with sarcasm, and at this Zhuzhen lost his temper.

"You little thief! You—" His words dissolved into a torrent of Chinese, but one didn't need to be fluent to understand that he was chewing Sasha out. "What did you do to Alice?"

"Zhuzhen, he didn't do anything. Cool the flames a bit, will you? Roger Bacon tried to put her under a sleep spell." As she spoke, Margarete shifted slightly, trying to readjust my dead weight. "Speaking of which, can you boys wait a few minutes before you kill each other? I need to get her in bed."

The fire surrounding the adept tempered a bit at this news, though he was still smoldering with anger. Margarete sighed and walked forward, leading me to—

"My room's upstairs," I pointed out.

"Then my room's closer," she said. "I'm not carrying you up the stairs, and I don't want you sleeping alone when you're in this state. You wouldn't wake up if someone broke in." She was right—I probably wouldn't even notice gunshots at the moment. "Did you forget to tell me something about Sasha?"

"He stole from us in Blue Castle."

"So I have to persuade him to stay, keep Zhuzhen from roasting him, and make sure he doesn't lift a few things?" Once again she sighed as she rummaged through her pockets for the room key. "Well, this looks like it'll be an interesting night."

"Sorry."

She laughed my apology off. "Don't worry about it. Why do you think I travel with you? It's for the challenge." Smoothly, Margarete slid the key into the lock and turned, opening the door. "Though I am a little tired. I've been busy lately. Dug up some info on Roger Bacon."

"You did?" I said, lifting my head a tiny bit.

"Of course. I'm a spy extraordinaire, remember? But you'll have to wait until morning. I doubt you'd remember if I told you now." She stopped by the side of the bed and leaned over, letting me slip onto the bed. "Okay, you—oh, wow, you're falling asleep already. Alice, you're going to fall off."

"Mmm," I answered. My eyes were already closed, darkness wrapping around my mind, but Margarete's hand was shaking me roughly.

"Alice, Alice, oh God, I'm so sorry. I couldn't stop him."

I frowned as I looked at Margarete. She was crying, her eyes wide with panic. "Couldn't stop who?"

"Sasha. It's awful, Zhuzhen, he's—"

In a flash, we were both in the lobby. An armchair had been flung against the wall and laid broken in pieces. The brown carpet was splattered with blood. There were two bodies in a corner, crumpled like rag dolls.

Zhuzhen lay on the center of the floor, his limbs stretched out in unnatural angles. His face was fixed in an expression of agony. His abdomen had been ripped open and his intestines were scattered across the rug. Yet I felt no horror; my reaction was only cerebral, the nagging thought that something was off.

"What should we do?"

I frowned before turning on Margarete. "Would you _stop_ it?" I demanded. "Margarete would not act like that."

"What are you talking about?" she wailed. "For heavens' sake, Alice—look at what Sasha did!"

"No," I said, and the corpses vanished. "Sasha's powerful, but I doubt he'd be able to overpower both Zhuzhen and Margarete." The bloodstains on the rug were fading, but I hardly noticed as I continued. "And so quietly? Gunshots, screams, explosions, yet Margarete and I are the only ones here?" The room itself disappeared, leaving the two of us in a void. "Margarete would not emerge from such a fight completely unscathed. That was a shoddy illusion, grail mask."

The form of Margarete disappeared, leaving a smirking blue mask. "Well, well," he croaked. "Very interesting." And then even he was gone.

It seemed ages later that I woke up. I was on the floor, a blanket spread over me. Margarete had been right about me falling off the bed; yet despite that, I felt well-rested. This was the first night in a week that I hadn't woken from the masks' nightmares. Margarete was lying on the bed—probably to keep a closer eye on me.

There was a rap on the door and I rose to answer it. "Good morn—" I stopped, seeing Sasha in the doorway.

"I need to go with you," he stated.

A moment of silence passed. "Where?" I asked, baffled.

"I need to travel with you."

Now I understood, but I stared at him in disbelief. "No." With that answer, I moved to shut the door, but he caught it with his hand.

"Let me explain—" He pushed the door open.

I shoved on the door, forcing him back. "I don't need any explanation!"

"Goddammit, Alice!" he said and with a huge shove slammed the door into the wall.

"Am I going to have to shoot someone?" Margarete asked, fiddling with her thin black nightgown as she sat up in bed. "Sasha, stop bothering Alice."

"I thought you said she _wanted_ to talk to me."

"Well she was under a spell when she said that…"

I clapped my hand over my mouth, realizing that they were right. "Yes, I do want to talk to you, but—can we go outside, Sasha?"

He stared at me curiously before shrugging his shoulders. "Fine by me."

We both walked out of the inn. Now that it was morning, there were more people up and about, but no one who would be interested in our conversation. I felt strangely light as I walked by Sasha, as though I'd forgotten to wear clothes or something—then I realized that I wasn't carrying my book. It had been forgotten in last night's hasty flight from Roger Bacon.

"All right, since you _were_ under a spell last night, let me make sure I've got this right," Sasha said quietly as we walked along the street. "You're under a curse from the masks." I nodded, keeping my eyes on the ground. "And you haven't told anyone else." This time when I nodded he put a hand to his temples and rubbed them. "Why the hell not?"

"I don't want them to worry." It was a mostly true statement. The only other reason was because the others (Margarete must have heard the whole story by now) had already lost trust in my judgment. I didn't want them to know just how foolish I'd been. "I need to find my book," I explained to him as I turned the corner, trying to retrace the path we had taken.

"You're going to die," he said. "They should be worried. What if one of them knows how to break the curse?"

I shook my head. "I asked both Keith and Zhuzhen about the masks. Mentioned they were in your graveyard. Neither of them knew anything about the masks, so I doubt they would know about what kind of curse they used." I looked up at him. "That's why I wanted to talk to you. What do you know about the masks?"

"Other than that they're assholes, not much," he grumbled. "I asked Bacon about them once, and he said they were the subconscious within everyone—"

"Ah," I murmured, "so I've been cursed by you."

He grabbed me by the shoulder, made me face him. "Don't be ridiculous. I want to help you."

He was earnest; I could tell that much just from looking in his eyes. I wanted someone who would guard me from the masks. But all the same, I shook my head. "Is that why you want to travel with me? Thank you, but I'll take care of myself."

"You don't trust me."

"I never should have."

Sasha flinched at my brusque response, but he continued. "So aren't you worried I'll go back to Roger Bacon?"

"I was," I admitted. "But last night he wanted to kill you, so I don't think I need to worry about that; you seem to have gotten yourself in a bind there."

At this he pulled up short. After a few more steps I turned to face him. The expression of shock on his face left me torn between morbid amusement and shame; it had been a low blow. "You're lying," he said, his eyes scrutinizing me.

I sighed. "Sasha, you know I'm not a good liar."

"He was there to kidnap you."

"He said I could run free—until I tried to stop him from killing you in your sleep."

His expression contorted for a brief instant before he made it perfectly blank. I found myself relying on my skill as a Demon Eyes to catch a glimpse of what he was feeling. It was an odd mix of denial and understanding, outrage and shame. I suddenly remembered how he had talked about Bacon in Shanghai. Though the man was a villain, Sasha had respected him; maybe even thought of him as a father. "I'm sorry."

"No you're not," he shot back, folding his arms. "Did he say why?"

"He wasn't certain whose side you were on."

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "Guess you're right then, I tied my own noose."

We walked along in silence for a few moments, only speaking when I was uncertain which way to go. In a perverse way, it was less tense than before. With his ties to Roger Bacon severed, Sasha had no reason to harm me, and there was the faint hope he wouldn't throw his life away trying to fulfill a madman's dream—though he had already spent the better portion of his life pursuing it.

Finally we reached the spot where Margarete had shot Bacon. There was dried blood, but no body, and, when I looked around, no book.

"What did it look like?" Sasha asked.

"Black, with a large sun in orange…it's not here." Someone must have taken it; the book's cover was very bold and unusual, so it would pique nearly anyone's interest.

Sasha shook his head. "You just have all sorts of tragedy befall you, huh?" he said, his lips turning up in a wry smirk. "See, this kind of stuff is why you need a protector."

I bit my lip and looked away. "I don't think you're cut out for the role. Zhuzhen and Margarete wouldn't stand for it, for one thing. They'd want some sort of proof you were actually on our side." Proof that I wasn't foolish for wanting to trust a liar.

"What sort of proof?" he asked me.

"Tell us what Roger Bacon's doing," I said instantly. "Tell us how we can stop him."

He grinned crookedly. "I can't tell you that."

"You really do believe in this plan of his, don't you? You think it'll make everyone happy." Sasha said nothing and I took a step towards him, forcing him to look at me. It was hard to read his face with his long hair obscuring his eyes. "Will it make me happy?"

He frowned for a second. "You ask so much," he said with a chuckle.

"Tell me. Will it?"

At this he ran a hand through his ragged hair, brushing most of it aside. "I thought it would. I know you wouldn't understand right now, but after everything was done, you'd understand. You'd know that Roger Bacon was doing this to help everyone."

"But?"

He laughed, but he averted his eyes from me as though ashamed. "I got you all wrong. I think you'd be mad. You'd understand why he did it, but you'd still think he was wrong, and you'd want to beat him silly with your bible for playing God."

"What do you mean, playing God?"

"Maybe I'll tell you. Later. I need to think for a while."

At his words my chest tightened. "Just say you won't tell me. You know I don't like being lied to."

"I swear to God I'm not lying." He raised his hands in a pantomime of honesty. "Everything's just a mess right now. I screwed up big." His eyes dropped to my neck and he commented, "You're not wearing my mother's cross."

My weight shifted between my feet as I chewed on my lip. "I left it in Blue Castle. Sorry."

He frowned. "Guess it's no surprise. Just—yeah. Give me some time to straighten my head out, all right? I'll walk you back to the inn."

Once again we lapsed into silence, but this time it was horribly awkward. The only reason I chose to walk back with him was because after last night, I had no desire to go anywhere alone. But when I thought about it, Sasha was really no protection at all.

"One last thing," he said as we reached the inn. "Roger Bacon didn't come here for me."

"How do you figure?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Because I don't see how he would find out I was here. Plus, if he wanted to kill me, then he's probably tying up other loose ends as well…and there's someone else in Rouen who's connected to him."

I stared at him. At first I was going to say that he was being silly about Roger Bacon not being able to find out where he was, after all, the warlock had even known about the masks' curse…yet he hadn't known that Sasha had been looking for him, so how would know Sasha's whereabouts but not his activities? And then I realized who Sasha was talking about and my mouth went dry. "Father Doyle?"

"If you're still going to visit him, don't go alone," Sasha advised me before walking away.

I ran into the inn and banged on Margarete's door. "Jesus, Alice, what…" She trailed off, her hands pausing in their adjustment of her bustier, when she looked at my face.

"We need to check on Father Doyle. Right away."

When we entered the church, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It was faint when we first walked in, but it grew stronger, overpowering the must, the stench of burnt flesh.

I opened the door leading to the confessionals and backed away as the odor grew even more powerful, gagging. My eyes were watering. "Dear Lord." I sank down on a nearby pew, my stomach churning.

Margarete also looked sickened, but she opened the door fully and walked down the hallway. She shrugged off her jacket, holding the cloth over her face. When she opened the first door, she only shook her head and moved on, but when she opened the second her reaction was immediate: a muffled but still loud swear as she backed away. She came back to the chapel and sat by me on the pew.

"He looks like he was _fried_," she muttered. "Bacon killed him? Who was he?"

I shook my head. "He wasn't especially powerful or influential in the church…" I frowned, trying to think. Why had Father come here? It had been something about Roger Bacon…and finally, I remembered. Father had been looking for an ally. "The only motive I can think of is that he knew a warlock, someone who was supposed to be as powerful as Bacon. He arranged a meeting between my father and that man, but we never met him…that was the night my father died."

Margarete frowned. "Do you know who you were going to meet?" I shook my head.

"I just know that it was someone Bacon feared…"

"Why didn't you mention him before?" she demanded. "God damn it. We could've used that lead."

I flinched, shying away from her. "But he never came to the meeting."

"So?"

"So I…I thought he must have been killed."

Margarete sighed, leaning forward. "You're probably right. If Bacon was still scared of this warlock, he would've killed Doyle sooner. It'd be a foolish risk to let a rival get involved…" She trailed off, her eyes resting on the altar. "I'm just frustrated. Doyle might have had information, and I never even knew about him." She shook her head, her hair tumbling out of its ponytail. She gave an exasperated grunt as she bent over to retrieve it.

"I thought you found out something about Roger Bacon," I said. "Isn't that why you told us to come here?"

"Oh, I found a few things," she told me as she pulled back her hair. "But I still don't know where he would be or what he's planning." She stood. "Come on. Let's go back to the inn. Maybe we can figure something out."

"Aren't--?"

When I broke off, Margarete turned to look at me, quirking an eyebrow. My hand gestured wildly towards the confessional and the unseen corpse.

"With Bacon out murdering people, I really don't think this is the best time to get tangled up with the police."

There was logic in her idea; the police would certainly want to question us about the murder, and there was the possibility that they might consider us suspects, which would make things hopelessly complicated…but I couldn't help to notice that as we left the church, Margarete crossed herself, and I felt compelled to do the same. Father Doyle had been isolated for the last few months. How long would it take for someone to find his corpse? He'd tried to help my father and me, the least I could do was to make sure his body was taken care of. But, more urgently, we needed to stop Roger Bacon.

Zhuzhen and Keith were both in their room when we came back, and Margarete wasted no time before plunking herself down on Keith's bed and saying, "Gentlemen, your attention please?"

"Are you going to tell us what you found out now?" Zhuzhen muttered.

She pouted slightly, and I was amazed yet again by how light-hearted Margarete could be. "I told you I wasn't going to say it twice. It'd take too long. But now that Alice is awake…well, first thing's first, Bacon's definitely getting more active lately. You mentioned he sent a witch to kidnap Alice, and we just found out that he murdered the priest of a nearby church."

"How did this happen?" Keith asked, shifting in his chair.

"Sasha told me that he thought Roger Bacon was tying up 'loose ends'. Father Doyle tried to help my father, so I was worried he was in danger, and…"

Zhuzhen shook his head. "Where is Sasha? He went on a walk with you, didn't he?" he asked me.

He hadn't come back yet? It hadn't been very long, a little over half an hour, but all the same I could feel my gut clenching. "He's probably gone."

"At least he didn't rob us this time," Zhuzhen grumbled, his face creasing with wrinkles as he scowled. "So he's going to help Bacon after all…"

I shook my head. "No, he won't. He was one of the other loose ends. Bacon wanted to kill him last night because he was unreliable."

Zhuzhen snorted as he leaned on his staff. "Isn't that the truth."

"Back to Roger Bacon," Margarete said, and then with a look to Zhuzhen, "You do want to hear what I found out, don't you?"

"Get on with it, Margarete."

"All right," she said with a grin. "I'm still not sure who he is, but the first person recorded in history by his name appeared as a priest in the Franciscan Order in 13th century England. His scholarly training was at Oxford and Paris Universities. His skills as an alchemist and a warlock were superb, and his name was known throughout Europe. At that time, he was branded as a revolutionary, but there were also many who felt he was persecuted. It seems he was very critical of the Church and was even imprisoned for it."

"But what's that have to do with our Roger Bacon?" I asked her. "Unless he's a vampire like Keith…"

The vampire frowned slightly. "He is most certainly not."

"Well, since some believe alchemy holds the key to eternal life, the possibility that that Roger Bacon could be our jolly old madman did occur to me," Margarete said thoughtfully. "And the alchemist Roger Bacon did live at least a few centuries longer than most of us, according to history. There are a few problems with that theory though. Roger Bacon definitely had his quirks, but he seemed to have been an upright individual. He aided the leading scholars in the fields of medicine and chemistry.

"But," she added, "there was something that caught my interest. In 1540, all of Europe was caught up in the mass insanity of witch hunts, and Bacon—yes, he was alive in 1540—was accused by one of his pupils."

"Before the church?" Zhuzhen asked, curious.

Margarete nodded. "A pupil warned the tribunal that Bacon's research had gone too far and threatened to corrupt society. Bacon was exiled. After that point, there are only glimpses of him throughout history…and somehow he turned from a quirky humanitarian to a prim and proper murderer."

"He must have been sucked into the murky depths of sorcery," Zhuzhen said.

Margarete shrugged as she crossed her legs. "Your guess is as good as mine," she said. "That's all I know."

"So we still don't know what his plans are," Keith said.

"Other than that they frequently involve murder, no."

"Actually, Sasha said something to me." My hand traced circles on the bed cover. "He admitted that if Bacon achieved his goal, I'd be angry with him for playing at being God."

Everyone else looked baffled still, which made me feel foolish for saying it. Sasha's comment really was too vague to be of any help.

"I think what we need to do," Zhuzhen said, "is find Sasha. He obviously knows what Bacon's goal is. Did he say anything about where he was going?"

I shook my head. "He actually said he just needed some time to think and he'd come back, but, given what happened last time…"

"Right. He probably pulled a disappearing act." Zhuzhen rolled his eyes.

"He is the only lead we have left though," Margarete pointed out. "It wouldn't hurt to wait for him."

"Perhaps we should track him down?" Keith suggested.

"He can turn into a giant bird. If he was just saying that as an excuse to get away from us, we're not going to have any luck catching him." The blonde woman sighed, stretching out on the bed. "Harmonixers are pain-in-the-asses that way."

"What if he doesn't come back?" I asked.

Zhuzhen gave a soft 'hmm' as he leaned back, thinking. "There is London."

"We didn't find anything there last time," Margarete said with a frown.

"But Sasha did say he'd meet Bacon there, so it must have some significance," I said. It was true that only a month after Shanghai's devastation, we had searched throughout the city without finding a thing, but Sasha wouldn't have said something like that to Bacon without reason. There had to be some meaning to it.

Keith took in our quick exchange, then opened his mouth—but with a shrug of his shoulders, closed it again. "How about this," Zhuzhen said to Margarete. "We prepare to go to London today, and if Sasha hasn't come back by morning, we leave. That should be more than enough time for him to figure out where he stands."

Margarete shrugged. "Alright, it's not like we've got any other leads."

At first there was a flurry of activity as we made our plans, but when it came time to actually make preparations, time slowed to a crawl. I helped Margarete pack her things—the rest of us had never had time to unpack, so that was no trouble—as Keith and Zhuzhen went about getting a carriage. Needing to buy a new weapon, I sought out the Chinese peddler. Between the money Zhuzhen and I had brought in from exorcisms and the money Margarete had on her, the others had all been able to buy new equipment. From the peddler's wares, I selected a sturdy cape made of shimmering blue cloth, a silver circlet, and a book called the Ever-Bible, which had a pink ribbon and blue crystals on its cover.

While I was making my purchase, I overheard other patrons speaking about a murdered priest and a cursed church; the phrase "just like last year" stuck out in my mind. I did my best to ignore the talk, but my stomach churned when I realized that some were gawking at me, obviously knowing I was the daughter of the first victim. I remained in the room for most of the time after that; we had finished our preparations, so I claimed fatigue and lay curled up in bed. Occasionally I read snatches from the Ever-Bible, discovering that it detailed how to perform an exorcism on a possessed woman.

Sasha hadn't come back by nightfall. But I had never really thought he would, so I wasn't disappointed. I clutched the blanket and pulled it over my head, hoping to muffle the jaunty "Yo, pops!" that I kept hearing, over and over.

My eyes were just about to close when a burning stench filled my nostrils. I threw off the blanket, looking around to see where the fire was—and then I caught sight of the flame licking at my calf, causing the skin to melt and drip down the bone like candle-wax.

"What a stupid dream," I said. "It's obviously fake." I thought if the masks couldn't get a reaction from me, they would leave me alone. Just like the night before: grail mask had tried to scare me, and when it knew its trick had failed it had ended the dream. If I simply kept calm…

There was no answer from the masks, but the orange-red flame darkened and spread, consuming my thigh. The liquid flesh spread along the bed, seeping into the creases of the sheet, revealing a white femur.

"If this were real, I would be in pain."

Still no response, but now I sat tilted because the dark fire had eaten away the skin and muscle of my entire right leg, leaving me unbalanced. The many tongues of the fire licked at my other leg, spread up my torso. My intestines fell out of place and dangled within my hip bones before also melting.

"Margarete," I called. Ridiculous, because it was a dream, and her lack of response proved it. Logically I knew that, but my heart was racing, pounding before it suddenly fell silent. I fell over sideways, my arm gone.

"I know this is a trick. I know it, I know it," I said, my voice rising.

Finally, finally a response: _this may be an illusion, but your fear is real enough._

My eyes widened, but that was the most reaction I could convey with half my face gone; and then they, too, melted, oozing out of their sockets like raw egg from its shell. I was only a skeleton now, unable to move without muscle, but through the perverse will of the masks, still able to perceive and think. Able to comprehend the masks' message—that I was powerless against them.

When I finally awoke, my nightgown was damp with sweat. The room was completely black. "Margarete," I called.

"Hm?" she murmured. Sheets rustled as she turned over in bed.

"Did Sasha come back?" His masks, his graveyard. Did he have these nightmares too? Maybe he knew how to make them go away.

"No."

My fault. My curse. I'd known full well he wouldn't come back anyways, but it didn't stop the tears dripping down my nose as I buried my face in the pillow.

The next morning, we left for London.


End file.
